Japan Slams China's 'Profoundly Dangerous' Air Defense Zone | WPN World People News

Japan used an annual defense paper on Tuesday to issue a fresh warning about what it sees as China's destabilizing actions in the region.

The so-called white paper expressed particular concern about China's "profoundly dangerous" declaration of an Air Defense Identification Zone in a part of the East China Sea that includes islands also claimed by Japan.

The paper, which was adopted Tuesday by the Cabinet, said the ADIZ is an attempt by China to "unilaterally change the status quo, escalate the situation, and may cause unintended consequences."

The dispute over the Japan-controlled island chain has led to a serious deterioration in Sino-Japanese relations. China and Japan regularly send aircraft and vessels to the area, raising fears of an accidental military clash.

Several other neighbors of China have accused Beijing of using similar aggressive tactics to forcibly advance its disputed maritime claims in the nearby South China Sea.

In what many see as a response to China's actions, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought to expand the regional role of his country's military.

Earlier this year, Japan's Cabinet passed a reinterpretation of the country's officially pacifist constitution to allow the military to defend foreign countries in case they are attacked.

Japan has also been spending more on defense. The white paper said Japan's defense budget grew 2.2 percent from the previous year to $48 billion for fiscal 2014. It is the second consecutive year of increase since Abe took office.

Source: Voice of America