China dismissed Japanese concerns about its defence spending as "ridiculous" today after Tokyo commissioned its biggest-ever helicopter carrier.
Both sides are boosting their military budgets as they grow increasingly wary of each other's ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region, facing off over a maritime territorial dispute and how to interpret Japan's motivations and actions during World War II.
Japan is uneasy about what it sees as China's growing assertiveness, including through regular double-digit increases in its defence spending, and on Wednesday commissioned its biggest warship since World War II, the helicopter carrier Izumo.
The 248-metre Japanese-built vessel can carry nine helicopters and is aimed at beefing up Tokyo's maritime defences in the East China Sea.
In 2012, China commissioned its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and has said its plans more.
Tokyo has repeatedly called on Beijing to be more transparent about its military outlays but Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying hit back, saying that despite Japan's far smaller number of people it spends a hefty amount on defence.
"Japan's population accounts for only about one-tenth that of China," Hua told a regular briefing today.
"But its per capita national defence spending is about five times that of China," she added.
"Given this, Japan's criticism of China's national defence is quite ridiculous."
It was unclear on what figures Hua based her comparison.
Earlier this month China unveiled a military budget of 886.9 billion yuan (USD 142.9 billion) for 2015. With a population of 1.37 billion, that equates to about USD 104 per person.
Japan's defence spending for fiscal 2015 has been set at 4.98 trillion yen (USD 42.1 billion), or about USD 329 per capita, just over three times as much as China.
Kyodo news agency said the Izumo cost around 120 billion yen.
Beijing is suspicious of moves by Tokyo to increase its defence profile under nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has called for his country to throw off the constraints of its "peace" constitution imposed by the United States after World War II, which ended 70 years ago this year.
Asked about the Izumo, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng told a monthly briefing today: "Due to historical reasons, any move or actions by Japan in the military and security field is worth the vigilance of its Asian neighbours.
