Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (front right) holds a meeting with his counterparts from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila on Wednesday. (Courtesy of Japan's Foreign Ministry)
MANILA (Jiji Press)--Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi expressed a desire to strengthen cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, at a meeting with his counterparts from ASEAN countries in Manila on Wednesday.
Motegi said ASEAN is "at the core" of realizing Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision, which was proposed by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about a decade ago. Current Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pledged to further develop the FOIP vision.
Japan aims to deepen cooperation with ASEAN nations for this purpose and "become stronger and more prosperous together" with them, Motegi added.
The foreign minister also emphasized Japan's strong opposition to "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion," in an apparent reference to China.
On the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, which ASEAN aims to establish with China, Motegi said he strongly hopes that this would be consistent with the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He also asked for cooperation in addressing North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals and its nuclear and missile programs.
Later in the day, Motegi held a separate meeting with his counterparts from the five Mekong River countries, including Vietnam.
They agreed to continue efforts to reinforce the Mekong countries' investigation capabilities and promote cooperation among related authorities of the nations and Japan to strengthen crackdowns on special fraud and other cross-border crimes.
Over Myanmar, where a civil war is continuing, the ministers confirmed the need to stop violence and start dialogue between parties concerned.