Abe seeks to pressure Beijing on South China Sea ruling

Jiji Press?!

It's important that Abe, along with all leaders of the region do this, and I applaud him for doing so.

He's going to get the inevitable, and predictable calls of 'hypocrite' by the usual suspects here, but that's just static really. Asia needs to unify against the neighbourhood bully here and send a strong and unified message.

The big problem is that China wants to claim the Spratly Islands as part of its Exclusive Economic Zone. Given the Spratly Islands are WAY beyond the 200 nautical mile EEZ recognized by most of the world, no wonder why the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against China.

Asia needs to unify against the neighbourhood bully here and send a strong and unified message.

I think this is the job of UN and it has been doing it perfectly well !

Tamarama, yes: "...the neighbourhood bully..." that sums things up quite nicely. Displaying all of the classic characteristics thereof...

Abe also brought his argument directly to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a heated 30-minute meeting Friday.

At this level discussions are not heated, as heated discussions lead to conflicts or worse. Again stop with the yellow journalism!

@decibel - are you trying to tell me that you believe, with that information you quoted directly from Wikipedia, that the permanent court of arbitration has less legal standing internationally than China's imaginary nine dash line?

70 years later the leader of Japan is telling China that the rule of international law must be respected, and expansionism by force and bullying, defying the international community is wrong. China needs to heed it's own advice and learn from history. Japan certainly has.

I doubt if the Chinese will "flaunt” the verdict. They might flout it though. And go on pushing their luck. I suspect they are amazed they got this far.

Nice try, Don't forget that Douglas MacArthur also wanted to drop 4-5 atomic bombs on Chinese cities after they marched into the Korean Peninsula in 1950 to kill our troops. The man had some remarkable foresight, don't you think? The ones who protest US bases in Okinawa are not the majority, just as the South Koreans protesting US facilities aren't either. Nothing would make China happier than to see the US pull out of East Asia leaving it wide open for Chinese expansion.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is an intergovernmental organization located at The Hague in the Netherlands. The PCA is not a court, but rather an organiser of arbitral tribunals to resolve conflicts between member states, international organizations, or private parties.[1][2] It should not be confused with the International Court of Justice which is the primary judicial branch of the United Nations, while the PCA is not a UN agency. PCA was paid by the Philippines govt and other unkown parties to arbitrate the SCS case. This has been clarified by the UN International Court of Justice that they have no connection to this ruling.

The Chinese will take as much as they can get away with. Keeping their economy growing and the quality of life slowly improving is the best way to control the masses and get them to accept the status quo. China doesn't care about right or wrong. Never have. Possession is 9 tenths of the law in China.

The US won't stand up to China on this issue until Mr Trump is in the White House

I think if I were in the Chinese government I would file a complaint with the Permanent Court of Arbitration over Japan's insistence that the area around Okinotorijima is its own exclusive economic area. Japan would surely lose such a case and we would be treated to the sight of Abe backpeddaling on his claim that the rule of law is “a universal principle that the international community must firmly maintain”.

Abe does so knowing that the US has his back. It's time the US left Japan to their own defense. I'm sick of our sons and daughters putting their American lives on the line for a country that hates us as much as Japan does. General Douglas MacArthur was correct, Japan is a nation of grown children. Until they are forced to think/act and defend themselves they will keep protesting the US troops on Monday only to hide behind our troops on Tuesday when China enters "their" waters. Time to grow up Japan.

Abe should be barking at China regarding the Senkaku/Diayu rocks foremost and let the Philippines and China handle the South China Sea issues .

Unless of course he wants to meddle in other nations affairs as a means to insult and taunt China,

He's going to get the inevitable, and predictable calls of 'hypocrite' by the usual suspects here, but that's just static really. Asia needs to unify against the neighbourhood bully here and send a strong and unified message.

HYPOCRITE!!!