Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attends an online summit with counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Nov. 12, 2020. (Photo courtesy of the Cabinet Public Relations Office)(Kyodo)  

TOKYO - A subtle change in Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's phrasing of a key Japanese foreign policy concept -- a "free and open Indo-Pacific" -- has raised questions about whether Tokyo has shifted its stance.