The document has four chapters covering the security environment surrounding Japan, Japan’s security and defense policy, three pillars of Japan’s defense, and core elements comprising defense capability.

Regarding the South China Sea (called the East Sea in Vietnam) the paper said China is moving forward with militarization, as well as expanding and intensifying its activities in the maritime and aerial domains, thereby continuing unilateral attempts to change the status quo by coercion to create a fait accompli.