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Japan has expressed concern over China 's expansionary maritime strategies, and has called for increasing surveillance and defense capabilities around remote islands in contested waters. In the latest edition of its annual Defense White Paper, Japan said for the first time that the relationship between Beijing 's political elite and its military leadership is becoming increasingly complex. The document was released weeks after bilateral tensions flared up over a confrontation between patrol vessels from the two nations in waters near a chain of disputed East China Sea islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China , The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the paper, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto said on separate occasions recently that Japan could deploy its self-defense forces if maritime confrontations escalate beyond what could be handled by its Coast Guard. Pointing towards North Korea , Tokyo said it expected its rogue neighbour to continue to beef up its military capabilities, noting that Pyongyang has been repeating 'provocative military action' on the Korean Peninsula , the paper said. As in the past, Tokyo stressed that North Korea 's nuclear testing, and the development of chemical weapons accompanied by the buildup of its missile capability, pose security challenges for Japan and the rest of the region. "Under any circumstances, we cannot tolerate [such action] as it represents a grave threat to the safety of our nation and, significantly erodes the peace and stability of the international community," the white paper said.

Japan mulls expanding defence capabilities to counter Chinese threat