The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Tokyo

Japan's defence ministry called Tuesday on China to "address the concerns of the international community" after Beijing announced a 17.6 percent rise in its military budget. "The defence ministry will keep working for China to enhance transparency about the strength of its military so as to address the concerns of the international community," it said in a statement. While Japan has been working to repair often tense ties with China, it has also repeatedly voiced unease over its neighbour's rising military spending. Tokyo has been officially pacifist since World War II and it relies on a security treaty with the United States, which stations more than 40,000 troops in its key Asian ally. Japan's statement echoed the view of the Pentagon, which expressed concern in a report released on Monday about China's expanding military power and the lack of transparency. This year's rise in military spending "will mark the 20th consecutive year that the Chinese military budget has increased by double digits," the Japanese statement said. "We believe that China's military modernisation will be further accelerated," it said.