Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Friday to support Vietnam and the Philippines in their territorial disputes with China, saying the use of force and intimidation to change the status quo cannot be justified.
In a speech at the Asia Security Summit in Singapore, Abe said the rule of law is what makes the Asia-Pacific region stable, adding that countries should adhere to international law, avoid resorting to force and resolve conflicts peacefully.
The speech, the first by a Japanese prime minister at the forum also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, came amid a recent spike in regional tensions as China and Vietnam continue to clash over Beijing's deployment of an oil rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea, and Japan and China raise the aerial ante in their dispute over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.