BEIJING, Rabi'I 3, 1436, Dec 25, 2014, SPA -- China hopes that Japan continues down the "path of peace", the defence ministry said on Thursday, in Beijing's first direct reaction to the appointment of a new Japanese defence minister, Reuters reported. "We believe that no matter who leads the Japanese defence ministry, the Japanese side ought to uphold walking down the path of peace ... and make efforts to promote the development and improvement in bilateral ties," ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a monthly news briefing. --SPA 13:39 LOCAL TIME 10:39 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w