Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday he promised Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape that Tokyo would offer "strong" support to help the Pacific island nation's economy recover from the new coronavirus pandemic.
Following his meeting with Marape in Port Moresby, Motegi told reporters in a virtual news conference that they also confirmed the importance of the "free and open maritime order based on the rule of law for the peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region."
Motegi, however, did not explicitly refer to China's growing assertiveness in the East and South China seas in his comments to reporters.