Japanese PM praises Modi's victory

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's victory in the general elections and assured him of cooperation between the two countries.
"I am absolutely certain that when I welcome Prime Minister Modi to Tokyo, we will successfully confirm that Japan-India cooperation, as well as trilateral cooperation including our two countries, will make the confluence of the two seas, that is the Pacific and Indian Oceans, peaceful and more prosperous," Abe said in the keynote address at the Shangrila Dialogue last night here.
Abe also touched on the benefits of having international laws for peaceful seas.
"Today, these international laws ensure that the benefits for each of us lie in the seas from the Pacific to the Indian Oceans being made thoroughly open, as a place of freedom and peace," he said.

"All of us should find one common benefit in keeping our oceans and skies as global commons, where the rule of law is respected throughout, to the merit of the world and humankind," said Abe.
He went on to highlight three principles of the rule of law at sea: The first principle is that states shall make and clarify their claims based on international law. The second is that states shall not use force or coercion in trying to drive their claims. The third principle is that states shall seek to settle disputes by peaceful means, Abe said.

"So to reiterate this, it means making claims that are faithful in light of international law, not resorting to force or coercion, and resolving all disputes through peaceful means," said Abe.

He urged all who live in Asia and the Pacific to each individually uphold these three principles exhaustively.
He also highlighted the recent Indonesian and the Philippines peaceful agreement on the delimitation of their overlapping exclusive economic zones.
But touching on the disputed South China Sea, Abe said, "my government strongly supports the efforts by the Philippines calling for a resolution to the dispute in the South China Sea that is truly consistent with these three principles. We likewise support Vietnam in its efforts to resolve issues through dialogue.