Photo/Illutration Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi speaks at a plenary session during the 19th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on June 11. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said on Sunday that he agreed with his Chinese counterpart to promote dialogue and exchanges.

Japan warned against China's attempts to change the status quo in the South and East China Sea, and said peace and security of the Taiwan Strait was important not only to Japan but to the international community, Kishi told reporters of his meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Singapore.