WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Japan is stepping up its defenses against cruise missiles, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday.

The newspaper said the Japanese Defense Ministry had taken the decision to boost national defenses against cruise missiles. Significantly, the report acknowledged the concern was not over North Korean capabilities, but Chinese ones. North Korea is not developing any cruise missiles and is not believed to have bought any. However, China has been investing heavily in developing them.

In response, Japan now intends to boost the number of aircraft it has that carry airborne warning and control systems. It also plans to put state-of-the-art radar systems in its P-X patrol aircraft.

Tokyo is also contemplating building its own new long-range surface-to-air missile to add to its multi-layered defense against such attacks, the report said.

The usually ponderous Japanese government bureaucracy is expected to move relatively quickly to implement and fund these new programs. They are already projected to be part of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's midterm defense buildup program, which will begin to be drawn up in the next fiscal year, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.