Japan is considering describing Chinese military moves as posing a "challenge" to the international order, as well as to Japan and like-minded countries, in its National Security Strategy — which is set to be revised together with two other security-related documents next week — according to a government source.

The planned reference may provoke Beijing, but the wording is softer than "threat," a term some Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers have backed in a show of their perception of the emerging power.

However, the National Defense Strategy, a document subordinate to the NSS, may refer to China's firing of ballistic missiles into Japan's exclusive economic zone in August as a "threat," in an apparent consideration of security hawks in the LDP, the source said Wednesday.