yes, you can ask your friend to apply for Chinese visa on behalf of you. The requirements are below:
1. valid passport with at least one blank visa page and at least 6 months beyond the expiration.
2. Certificate of alien registration (to the aliens who have the visa with the period of more than half a year in Japan)
3. One completed visa application form attached with one recently taken, bareheaded, full-faced photo.
4. A Chinese hotel reservation certificate and a two-way air ticket.