Japan and China agreed Friday to enhance defense exchanges as part of the efforts to further boost bilateral ties and mutual trust.

Visiting Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and his Japanese counterpart Toshimi Kitazawa said during a joint press conference that Japan and China will "comprehensively promote strategic and mutually beneficial relations of the two countries through continuous and stable defense exchanges."

In a joint declaration released after their meeting, the two sides said they will hold a joint naval drill for search and rescue operations for the first time and a meeting of high-level defense officials and uniformed officers regularly.

According to Japanese Defense Ministry, the joint drill will be held next year.

The two countries also agreed Japan's defense minister will visit China next year and that they will start discussions on mutual cooperation in the areas of disaster relief activities and U.N. peacekeeping operations.

In addition, the chief of staff of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Forces will make a visit to China next year and high-level Chinese military delegation is expected to visit Japan in return. The training squadron of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces is also scheduled to visit China for exchanges in 2010.

The two sides also vowed to continue talks and work on the early establishment of a maritime communication mechanism between the defense departments.

Before holding talks with his Japanese counterpart, Liang met Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and conveyed greetings from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Liang, who started the five-day visit to Japan on Friday, is the first Chinese defense minister to visit Japan since Cao Gangchuan did so in August 2007.

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