South China Sea a cause for international concern

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday he wanted cooperation between the two countries and the United States in maintaining an open and peaceful South China Sea, a Japanese government spokesman said.

Abe also told Park during a bilateral summit in Seoul that the situation in the strategic waterway was "a common cause of concern for international society", Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda told reporters.