Doshisha University in Kyoto Prefecture will hold an entrance examination in China next July to attract gifted Chinese students, university officials said Friday.

The move is aimed at building human resources to foster amicable bilateral relations, they said.

The private university will also hold entrance examinations in other countries in Asia, including South Korea, they said.

It is rare for a Japanese university to conduct entrance exams abroad, according to the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry.

The exam will be held at Ocean University of China in Qingdao, Shandong Province, which has an exchange program with Doshisha. They may also be held in Beijing and Shanghai.

Doshisha enrolls 90 students annually in a one-year program for foreigners who have a basic knowledge of Japanese language and culture.