Japan, U.S. defence chiefs oppose bid to alter status of Asian waters

FILE PHOTO: Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono reacts during a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., January 14, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Defence Minister Taro Kono said on Saturday he had agreed with his U.S. counterpart Mark Esper that both countries opposed any unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the key waterways of the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

Kono shared his view with the U.S. defense secretary at a time when the United States and China are at loggerheads over issues ranging from technology and human rights to Chinese military activities in the disputed South China Sea.