Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China     

    TOKYO, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Japan will send an emergency relief team later Thursday to China's quake-stricken areas, officials said.

    The Japanese rescue team is scheduled to set off for China later Thursday, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masahiro Futahashi told a press conference.

    The team, which may consist of "about 40 or 50 members," will include firefighters, members of the police, the Japan Coast Guard and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, but its size is "not yet finalized," Masahiro said.

    Foreign Ministry officials said the Japanese government is coordinating with relevant departments of the Chinese side over details of the relief operations.

    The relief team is scheduled to leave for China from the Narita airport.

    China has accepted Japan's offer to send an emergency response team to the quake-stricken southwest area, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing on Thursday.

    A 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday afternoon. The death toll has risen to 14,866, latest government figures show.