Japan, U.S., Australia, Philippines vow to boost defense cooperation

The defense ministers of Japan, the United States, Australia and the Philippines agreed Saturday to step up security cooperation in an effort to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific amid China's growing maritime assertiveness in the region.The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the annual Asia Security Summit in Singapore, was the first-ever defense ministerial talks involving all four countries.The ministers "affirmed that they have a vision for a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' and collectively make efforts to ensure the vision continues to thrive," according to the Japanese Defen…READ FULL ARTICLE