The Chinese Foreign Ministry said China poses no threat to any nation and called the comments in Japan's newly adopted defense policy document as "irresponsible."

The administration in Tokyo adopted the revised National Defense Program Guidelines that shifted the previous focus away from Russia to China and its growing military activities.

The program also said North Korea was a major regional security threat.

Tensions rose dramatically in the region last month when North Korea unexpectedly shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island, which lies less than 8 miles from the North Korean mainland. The shelling killed two South Korean marines and two civilians and the South returned fire with 155mm K-9 self-propelled howitzers.

The incident, said Japan's defense document, and North Korea's development of ballistic missiles has created "an urgent and grave destabilizing factor" in regional security.

China slammed the defense program, saying it fails to acknowledge the economic gains Japan has had thanks to a strong and peaceful China.

"China adheres to a path of peaceful development and pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.

"It is not our intention to threaten, nor does (China) constitute a threat to anyone. Individual countries have no right to represent the international community and make irresponsible remarks on China's development," Jiang said.

Many countries including Japan have benefited from the "tremendous opportunities for shared prosperity" that China's economic development has brought, she said.

The previous Japanese defense strategy document in 2004 said Japan should "remain attentive" to China.

But the changed description reflects realities since then, Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said. The document also makes specific reference to Japan's remote islands whose sovereignty continues to be hotly disputed by China.

"Our country is encircled by severe security situations and I believe that we were able to lay out a security and defense policy appropriate for the new era," Kitazawa said.

Japan's military will develop "dynamic defense capabilities" to be ready and mobile to meet all situations, including terrorist attacks and invasions of Japan's outlying islands.

"The new concept of dynamic defense capabilities can deal with the new and complex security environment of current times," Kitazawa said.

China and Japan entered a war of words in September after Japanese naval vessels captured a Chinese fishing ship in waters near the disputed Diaoyu Islands -- known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands -- and detained its crew.

The islands are 106 miles north of Japan's Ishigaki Island and 116 miles northeast of Keelung city on northern Taiwan. They lie 255 miles west of Okinawa Island but Tokyo argues they are part of the Japanese Ryukyu Islands group.

Disputes over who owns the five islands and three rocky outcrops predate World War II. At the end of the war in 1945 they were under U.S. jurisdiction as part of the captured island of Okinawa. But they have been under Japanese jurisdiction since 1972 when Okinawa was returned to Japan.

Yu also slammed an upcoming Diaoyu commemorative ceremony by the city of Ishigaki on Okinawa.

The city assembly set aside Jan. 14 to celebrate Japanese "pioneering" efforts to develop the Diaoyu Islands after Japan took them over in 1895. Yu said the "so-called "pioneering" by Japan has been "disgraceful."

As well as adopting the defense document, Japan's government also approved a five-year Midterm Defense Program and set the defense budget at $280 billion, down 3 percent from the last five-year budget due to general financial constraints.

The National Defense Program, which sets out policy for the next decade starting next year, is the first defense document by Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Democratic Party of Japan. Kan, the former finance minister and deputy prime minister, moved up to become Japan's fifth prime minister in four years in June when was chosen by his party to replace Yukio Hatoyama who resigned.

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