Japan Lists China as Bigger Threat Than Nuclear-Armed North Korea

Military vehicles carrying DF-21D missiles are displayed in a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images

TOKYO—China’s growing military might has replaced North Korean belligerence as the main security threat to Japan, Tokyo’s annual defense review indicated on Sept. 26, despite signs that Pyongyang could have nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.

The document’s security assessment on China comes after a section on Japan’s ally, the United States, the first time Beijing has achieved second place in the Defense White Paper and pushing North Korea into third position.