Japanese former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda urged the improvement of ties with China, citing the development of the Japanese economy as a reason, Kyodo News reported Monday.

For the sake of developing Japan's economy, it is necessary to improve the strained relations with China, the former top government spokesman said on Sunday in Date, Fukushima prefecture.

"The opportunity for the revival of Japan's economy is the increase of trade with China," Fukuda said in a speech, adding "Globally, economic development in northeastern Asia is the most rapid."

He urged Japan to promote exchanges with the region because " there lies the source for Japan's economy development".

Fukuda, 69, has received media attention as a possible candidate for prime minister as the current premier Junichiro Koizumi is due to leave his post in September this year. Though not as high-profile as the current Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe as a possible successor, Fukuda is still favored by a number of senior lawmakers within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) who are unsatisfied with Koizumi's Asian diplomacy and wary of drastic change of leadership, according to local reports.

Source: Xinhua