Japan Considers Sending Navy to Aid U.S. in South China Sea
- Abe tells Obama he will focus on effect on Japan's security
- China has previously urged Japan not to 'complicate' issue
Shinzo Abe and Barack Obama talk during a bilateral meeting at the APEC Summit in Manila.
Photographer: Susan Walsh/AP ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told President Barack Obama he’ll consider sending the country’s maritime forces to back up U.S. operations in the South China Sea.
The comments in a bilateral meeting Thursday on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila came after the U.S. sparked an angry reaction from China last month by sailing a warship close to an artificial island in waters that China views as its own territory. Japan and the U.S., its only formal ally, have occasionally conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea, but never in such close proximity to features claimed by China.