Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung agreed Wednesday to deepen bilateral security cooperation in the face of China's growing maritime assertiveness.

In Abe's first stop on his three-nation tour of Southeast Asia, Japan and Vietnam confirmed their opposition to "changing the status quo by force" in the South China Sea, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko said, noting the indirect reference to China's maritime disputes with Vietnam and the Philippines.

After the summit, Dung said the leaders shared the view that all disputes and problems in the Asia-Pacific region "should be solved through peaceful negotiations based on international law."