Japan will host a multinational marine exercise in October for intercepting weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and hopes China and South Korea will also join the US-led drill, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Tuesday.

Japan will offer to host the 15-nation Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) drill in waters off Tokyo Bay in a PSI meeting slated for Thursday and Friday in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, Kawaguchi said.

"It will be the first one to be held in Asia," she said at a press conference. "Japan has been playing an active role in the PSI. I think it will contribute to peace and stability of Asia."

The drill will be based on a scenario that participating nations halt a ship suspected to be carrying WMD materials and seize them, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Japan Coast Guard patrol ships and Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C patrol aircraft will participate in the war games, the ministry said.

Japan is the only Asian member when the initiative was launched with 10 other nations in May 2003 at the behest of US President George W. Bush. The membership has since expanded to 15, including Singapore and Russia.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2004)