⁍ Japan opposes any actions that escalate tension in the East and South China Seas.

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⁍ Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Tokyo was not aiming at an ‘Asian NATO’ to contain any specific country.

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⁍ S Suga’s four-day visit to the two Southeast Asian countries is part of Japan’s efforts to bolster ties with key regional countries.

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– Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says his country is “determined to defend its territory, territorial waters, and air space” and is “opposed to any actions that escalate tensions in the East and South China Seas.” The comments came during a trip to Vietnam and Indonesia, where Suga said Japan “is opposed to any actions that escalate tensions” in the South China Sea, Reuters reports. “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,” Suga said at a news conference in Jakarta. Japan is also opposed to China’s moves in the South China Sea, which have raised tensions with other countries, Suga said. But Suga said Japan wasn’t trying to create an Asian version of NATO. “Our response in the South China Sea is not aimed at any one country,” he said, when asked if Japan wanted to create an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.