AFP - Japan called China's military rise a source of international "concern" and labelled North Korea a "grave factor for instability" in its new 10-year defence guidelines released Friday.

The National Defence Programme Guidelines said Japan would shift its focus from the Cold War-era threat posed by Russia to southern islands nearer to China, while increasing its submarine fleet and modernising its fighter jets.

"China is rapidly modernising its military force and expanding activities in its neighbouring waters," said the first new guidelines issued in six years, approved by centre-left Prime Minister Naoto Kan's cabinet.

"Together with the lack of transparency on China's military and security issues, the trend is a concern for the region and the international community," said the guidelines, which set out defence planning for the coming decade.

The paper labelled North Korea -- which in recent years has fired missiles over Japan, staged two nuclear tests, and last month unveiled a new uranium enrichment plant -- an "urgent, grave factor for instability".