Chinese are buying land around military bases in Japan, an episode that might trigger security concerns and further tensions between the two nations with already frayed relations, media reports said on Friday.

Japan has unearthed at least 700 Chinese-funded instances of plots of land changing hands near military bases, in a government investigation prompted by security concerns, reports Apple Daily.

The investments and purchase plans were driven by Chinese-led foreign corporations and could pose a risk to Japan’s safety, the Sankei Shimbun reported Thursday as quoted by Apple Daily.

Japanese authorities made the startling discovery after launching a comprehensive investigation last year into the property rights of land surrounding military installations, the news report said.

Officials checked confirmed land acquisitions and acquisition plans, and found that the affected sites were around the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the military base of the United States Army Japan, Japan’s coast guard and facilities for space development, Sankei reported, citing sources familiar with the matter as quoted by Apple Daily.