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The Sazanami will be led into port in the city of Zhanjiang by the Shenzhen, the Chinese naval vessel that visited Japan last year, China Daily said.

The reciprocal port calls were agreed at a meeting last year between senior military figures from the two nations.

This one comes amid improvements in the often tense China-Japan relationship.

Earlier this month, the two sides struck a deal to jointly develop gas fields both claim in the East China Sea, resolving a protracted bilateral dispute.

That agreement followed a visit to Japan in May by Chinese President Hu Jintao, the first by a Chinese leader in a decade.

The Sazanami, a destroyer, is carrying relief supplies for the victims of last month's Sichuan earthquake.

Three hundred blankets, more than 2,500 pre-packaged meals and hygiene masks are on board.

Chinese state media played down suggestions the port-call could inflame anti-Japanese sentiment.

It was "a significant diplomatic event", China Daily said, and local residents were "taking the visit calmly".

(BBC)

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