Beijing - A joint Japan-US exercise in southwestern Japanese waters late this year near islands disputed with China is not necessarily targeting Beijing, Chinese scholars have said.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Thursday that Tokyo and Washington are planning a naval drill in Oita prefecture, near Okinawa and other southern islands, in December.

The news captured the attention of Chinese media as the two allies usually only stage their naval exercises east of Japan in the Pacific, which is closer to the Republic of Korea (ROK), which also has territorial disputes with Japan.