The Japanese government is pushing for foreign ministers’ talks with China in an effort to ease diplomatic tensions over a territorial dispute in the East Sea.

The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reports that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on a TV program Tuesday night that expanding a dialogue channel with China is a good thing. He added that the Japanese foreign minister must be included in the process to address the diplomatic row with China.

The Japanese government aims to hold a meeting of foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly later this month.

The Japanese business sector is also urging Tokyo to settle its conflict with China, as anti-Japanese protests by Chinese people are dealing a serious blow to Japanese companies doing business in China.