Japan to send larger delegation to China to hold economic talks

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will send a larger delegation than a year ago to hold economic talks with senior Chinese officials, a government representative said here Friday.

The previous round of so-called high-level economic dialogue held last April saw a delegation comprising four members of Abe's cabinet.

For the upcoming round of talks, Abe will send six members of his cabinet to Beijing, the government official said, as bilateral relations between the two neighbors have improved recently.

Foreign Minister Taro Kono is set to head the delegation to Beijing, which will also comprise industry minister Hiroshige Seko, transport minister Keiichi Ishii, regulatory reform minister Satsuki Katayama, farm minister Takamori Yoshikawa and environment minister Yoshiaki Harada, the government official said.

The upcoming high-level economic dialogue to be held between the two countries will be the fifth of its kind since such official talks began in 2007.