The 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling is “final and legally binding” that warrants compliance on all concerned parties under the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Japan.
The Japanese government issued the statement late Tuesday evening in response to the recent Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, which overlaps with the South China Sea. It described the development as a ‘legitimate concern’ tied to the peace and stability in the region.
“Japan reiterates serious concern over repeated actions, which obstruct freedom of navigation and increase regional tensions, including recent dangerous actions that resulted in damage to the Filipino vessel and injuries to Filipinos onboard,” the MOFA stated.
“Japan has consistently advocated upholding the rule of law at sea, and will continue to cooperate with the international community such as ASEAN Member States and the United States to protect the free and open international order based on the rule of law,” it added.
The Japanese government has maintained its opposition to the “unlawful maritime claims” of China and strongly condemned its coercive use of Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels, as declared in the Joint Vision Statement of the leaders of Japan, the Philippines, and the United States last April.
“Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force as well as any actions that increase tensions in the South China Sea,” the ministry said.
Japan raised the validity of the PCA ruling in defense of the Philippines, which has “consistently complied” with the arbitral award to maintain peace and order in the regional waters, contradicting Beijing’s claims that Manila is the one instigating the maritime conflict.
“The arbitral award is final and legally binding on the parties to the dispute… and Japan strongly hopes that the parties’ compliance with the award will lead to the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea,” the MOFA said.