Ahead of his state visit to Beijing, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday criticized China over its military and maritime expansion in East and South China Sea, saying that world is "greatly worried" over its provocative actions in disputed maritime territories.

"Candidly speaking, a rapid and opaque increase in (China's) military spending and unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas under the aim of building a strong maritime state are having not only people in Japan, but countries in the Asia-Pacific region and the international community worried greatly," Kishida said in a speech addressed to business leaders.

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Fumio Kishida is likely to visit China this Friday. He will be discussing a host of issues including those critical of the South and East China Sea with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Outlining his expectations from the visit, Kishida said, "Through candid dialogue with the Chinese side, I want to get the wheel turning to create the Sino-Japanese relations that are suitable for a new age."     

Kishida's visit to Beijing comes just a few weeks after Japan raised the South China Sea issue at the G7 Summit, infuriating officials in Beijing. China asked Japan not to raise South China Sea issues at the high profile summit, but Tokyo rejected China's demand.    

Japan is not a party to South China Sea dispute, but offers diplomatic and military support to several claimants in the region to counter China's influence in South China Sea waters. However, Japan and China shares direct territorial dispute over a group of inhabited islands in East China Sea, with both countries staking claim over inhabited islands.

Earlier this month, Japan deployed several coast guard vessels to patrol these disputed islands in East China Sea, a move that certainly didn't go well with China.                

Apart from maritime disputes, China also shares strained relation with Japan owing to legacy of Japan's World War Two aggression. China constantly accuses Japan of not acknowledging wartime aggression committed during World War two. A accusation that Tokyo has rejected time and again.

Tagschina, Japan, South China Sea, East China Sea