The recent nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, along with the ongoing financial crises in Southeast and East Asia, may destabilize Asia-Pacific security, the annual white paper on defense warns.

The report, submitted to Tuesday's Cabinet meeting by Defense Agency chief Fumio Kyuma, urges Japan to upgrade its security framework with the United States toward the 21st century and to step up defense exchanges with China and Russia to help stabilize the ever-volatile Asia-Pacific security environment.

This year's white paper focuses on measures concerning the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty and includes an entire chapter detailing such issues as the bilateral defense cooperation guidelines updated last fall and the legislative measures to support them that are before the Diet for debate.