Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he hopes to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year to mend strained bilateral relations.

Mr Abe said the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum scheduled for November would be a possible venue.

"I want to hold summit talks (with Mr Xi) during the APEC meeting in Beijing," he told parliament, responding to questions about relations with China.

"My door is always open for dialogue and I hope the Chinese side adopts the same stance."

Mr Abe pointed to the neighbours' huge trading and business ties, saying they were "inextricably" linked.

Tokyo and Beijing have long been at odds over territorial claims and historical grievances largely tied to Tokyo's militarism in the first half of the 20th century.

Since assuming the premiership for the second time in December 2012, Mr Abe has been unable to hold official one-on-one talks with Mr Xi.

During a visit to Australia and New Zealand last week, Mr Abe called for talks with Mr Xi as did his close adviser Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

Rising tensions have seen Chinese ships routinely sail into waters near the disputed East China Sea archipelago, while Japan has scrambled fighter jets to ward off intrusions near its airspace.

Relations dropped again this month after Japan moved to relax restrictions on the use of armed force in a controversial change to its post-war pacifism.

In an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun on Sunday, Mr Abe declined to say whether he would visit a controversial war shrine on the August 15 anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II.

China was furious over Mr Abe's December visit to the shrine, which honours Japan's war dead, including some senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes.

Many Japanese politicians make an annual pilgrimage to the site in central Tokyo, angering China and South Korea which say Japan has not faced up to its warring past.

AFP/Kyodo