Tokyo, July 21 (IANS): The Japanese cabinet on Tuesday approved a defence white paper for 2015, in which it describes the security situation surrounding Japan as "increasingly tough."

The annual paper was approved after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party rejected a draft version as it had "failed to contain any reference to China's construction of offshore platform in the East China Sea", reported Xinhua citing local media.

In this 400-plus page document, Japan demands China to stop build a new offshore platform that could be used for "military purposes" in the East China Sea (ECS), saying Japan has "repeatedly protested" Beijing's unilateral action in what some suspect is an attempt to force changes in the status quo in the ECS as well as in the South China Sea.

Regarding Japan's accusations, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying responded earlier this month when partial contents of the paper were disclosed that "China's relevant activities are in waters within China's jurisdiction beyond any dispute. The protests by Japan are groundless, and China does not accept the unreasonable request of Japan".

Japan also criticized China for its military spending, saying it is now 41 times higher than in fiscal 1989.