JAKARTA (INDONESIA) – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday that Tokyo was opposed to any actions aimed at escalating tension in the East and South China Seas, adding that his country was not aiming at an “Asian NATO” to counter the threat of any specific country.
He was winding up a four-day trip to Vietnam and Indonesia, which is his first ever since he assumed office. It is part of his efforts to bolster ties with Southeast Asian countries amid concerns over China’s growing regional clout.
“Japan is opposed to any actions that escalate tensions in the South China Sea,” he said in a media briefing in Jakarta.
“Let me stress anew the importance of all the countries concerning the South China Sea issues not resorting to force or coercion, but working toward peaceful resolutions of the disputes based on international law.”
China has denounced the grouping of the four democracies as a “mini-NATO” aimed at containing its development.
The official visit comes in the wake of the Tokyo meeting of the Quad, an informal group comprising India, Australia, Japan and the US, which Washington sees as a bulwark against China’s growing influence.
“Our response in the South China Sea is not aimed at any one country,” Suga said.