Japan is facing growing security challenges due to China's flexing of its military might and North Korea's missile development programme and nuclear status, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Sunday.
Kan's comments come amid heightened tensions with China over disputed islands and growing military activities by the rapidly developing Asian giant and follow a report that North Korea may be preparing for a third nuclear test.
Ties between Tokyo and Beijing were badly strained after Japan arrested a Chinese trawler captain near the island chain in the East China Sea last month, sparking a barrage of protests from Beijing.
"The security situation surrounding Japan is becoming more severe, seen in concerns over North Korea's missile and nuclear arms development and in China's increasing naval activity along with its military modernisation," Kan said at an inspection parade of troops in suburban Tokyo.
"The Self-Defence Forces need to be poised to deal with various situations effectively," Kan said, using the official name of the Japanese troops.
Kan also stressed the importance of strengthening the decades-long alliance with the United States, saying: "I'd like to deepen the alliance into an appropriate form for the 21st century."
The prime minister attended the parade for the first time as the premier of the government led by the centre-left Democratic Party of Japan, which ousted a conservative government last year.
In the latest development in the bitter spat between China and Japan, Tokyo on Sunday urged Beijing to normalise rare earth exports that are crucial for high-tech Japan after shipments were blocked last month.
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