Japan has assessed China is now its most pressing security concern, according to the most recent edition of its annual Defense White Paper, released Sept. 27, the Associated Press reported. The Japanese-U.S. alliance comes first in the paper, indicating the importance of the countries' relationship to Japan's security, followed by mentions of China, whose Belt and Road infrastructure programs and rising naval presence in the Indian and Pacific oceans were cited as growing security concerns. North Korea previously had occupied the position of greatest Japanese concern.