Rising Japanese military budget seen as disruptive

China expressed concerns on Thursday over the consecutive increase in Japan's annual defense budget, urging it to behave with caution in military and security areas.

"Whatever the reason is, Japan has increased its defense budget year by year and has set a record," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday.

Japan has hyped various threats in recent years, increased its defense budget and approved the new security bills, Hua said, but "all parties should stay vigilant to the real intention behind such activities".