Japan voices concern about China's defense spending

Japan remains concerned about China’s rising defense spending, Reuters reported. Japan’s foreign minister made the statement to his Chinese counterpart at a meeting in Tokyo. The Japanese official also said that the two sides needed to increase understanding and transparency on the issue. The Chinese official responded that China’s military policy is defensive, and that he wanted to continue discussing a security policy with Japan. Chinese president Hu Jintao made a historic visit to Japan last month that signaled the usually tense relationship between the two countries had significantly improved.