Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held the annual Japan-ASEAN summit on Monday in Manila, during which Abe said Japan and ASEAN should lead the development of a "free and open" international order.
"With ASEAN having become a main actor in the world, in which democracy, the rule of law and market economies have taken root, it is important to extend ASEAN's success to the entire Indo-Pacific region to bring out this region's potential," Abe said at the outset of the talks, which were open to the press.
"In the 50 years ahead, we want to lead together with ASEAN, which faces both the Indian and Pacific oceans, the development of a free and open international order based on the rule of law, building on (ASEAN's) development so far," Abe said.