Japan, Vietnam foreign chiefs vow to promote free, open Indo-Pacific

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi agreed Thursday with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son to promote cooperation to realize a "free and open Indo-Pacific," the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, apparently with China's military buildup in the region in mind.During their roughly 75-minute "in-depth" talks in Tokyo, Hayashi expressed his "strong opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China seas," with the two ministers agreeing on the importance of dealing with the issue based on international law, the ministry said.Japan and Vietnam have…READ FULL ARTICLE