Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has slammed China for bolstering its military capabilities "without sufficient transparency."
Koizumi's comments came as he spoke at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Sunday.
The minister said China continued to expand defense spending at a high level and the country's military activities were a matter of "serious concern" for Japan and and the international community.
Ties between the Asian countries have been at their worst in years ever since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi cautioned in November that if China were to attack Taiwan — the self-governing democratic island that China claims as its territory — Japan could intervene.Economic powerhouse China — a risky partner? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Japan defense minister rebuts 'new militarism' claims
