(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) China's Ministry of National Defense criticized Japan's latest defense white paper on Tuesday, accusing Japan of using the so-called China threat as an excuse for its military buildup, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
China's Ministry of National Defense said in a press release that Japan has ignored the facts, made groundless charges and deliberately played up the China threat.
"All this is done as an excuse for Japan to adjust military and security policies and expand its military," the ministry said, expressing firm opposition.
"We are assessing the details of the white paper and will make further comment in due course," the ministry added.
The Japanese Cabinet approved a defense white paper for 2014 earlier in the day.
The annual paper expressed strong concern about China's military development and activity in the East China and South China seas, the establishment of an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea, and an "unusually close encounter" between Chinese and Japanese military aircraft.
It also said Japan needs to improve its defense capacity to cope with an increasingly severe security environment, and points out threats from North Korea, China and Russia.
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