Shinzo Abe, who is expected to be named prime minister next week, tried Monday to ease international concerns a bit over his hawkish stance a day after his Liberal Democratic Party won an overwhelming victory in the Lower House election.

Responding to a question from a reporter of China's official Xinhua news agency at a news conference, Abe described Sino-Japanese relations as "one of the most important bilateral relationships," pledging to make efforts to improve bilateral ties that have been under severe strain.

"China is an indispensable country for the Japanese economy to keep growing," Abe said at his first press briefing since election day.