Japan reorients defense to counter China

TOKYO, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Japan announced a recasting of military policy Friday to counter China, prompting an immediate rebuke from Beijing.

The National Defense Program Guidelines will boost the number of submarines from 16 to 22 and cut tanks by a third to about 400, The New York Times reported, continuing a shift away from defending the north against the former Soviet Union to shielding southern islands from China.

The announcement bluntly called China's military expansion "a matter of concern for the region and the international community."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu warned, "A certain country has no right to act as a representative of the international community and make irresponsible remarks on China's development," Xinhua reported.

The two countries have clashed diplomatically over small uninhabited islands they both claim in the East China Sea.

Japan also will deploy more Patriot interceptor missiles to shoot down ballistic missiles from North Korea.

The BBC reported Tokyo's document terms the American alliance "indispensable" but calls for easing the burden on communities hosting U.S. bases, including Okinawa.