Over 50 journalists from Japanese mainstream media attended the 90-minute event and expressed great interest and enthusiasm, said Deng Wei, a spokesman for the embassy.

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In the past, the embassy only convened news conferences to address major events such as the devastating earthquake in southwestern China's Sichuan province and the Beijing Olympic Games, both in 2008.

"The move to meet the press on a regular basis reflects China's efforts to explain its policy and stances to the foreign public to help them better understand China at a time when its international influence is growing in line with its economic development," said Deng.

Besides the embassy in Japan, Chinese embassies in Italy, the Philippines and Poland, as well as the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, have already introduced regular media briefings.

The Foreign Ministry encourages overseas diplomatic missions to provide various kinds of services to help the rest of the world better understand the country and its standpoint on key issues.

Li Yuanhang with Guangzhou-based Jinan University said that regular news conferences held by overseas diplomatic missions will help China express its opinions in a timely and effective manner, allowing the world to get a more balanced and objective view of China.

"The overseas embassies are an important way to publicize China's policies and culture. Regular meetings with foreign reporters will help them do this job," he said.