Japan has said that it is willing to help with the recently established tripartite cooperation between the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia in combating piracy and terrorism, the Japanese Department of National Defence has said. During the recent Philippines-Japan vice-ministerial meeting in Tokyo Japanese Vice Minister for International Affairs Ro Manabe said that it would help the Philippines against criminal maritime acts. Japan also said that it would continue to share information regarding violations of the rule of law in the disputed South China Sea.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has raised the issue of the South China Sea issue during visits to the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam. That led China to accuse Abe of “going to extremes to sow discord and play up regional tension.” Abe said that the South China Sea issue was a concern to the entire international community and was directly linked to regional peace and stability.