Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met Friday with the top leaders from Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Singapore in Tokyo, expressing concerns about China's setting of a new air defense zone over the East China Sea, Japanese officials said.
Abe is trying to garner support from other countries to put pressure on Beijing, in particular from ASEAN countries, some of which have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.
The issue of the air defense identification zone is expected to be raised again during the special ASEAN sessions to be held Saturday in Tokyo, cochaired by Abe and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.