Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will reportedly express their concern on abuse of power in international civil aviation, which could pose a security "threat," and the draft report implicitly refers to the new Chinese air defence zone, a diplomatic source said.
A draft of the statement shows Japan and ASEAN are giving consideration to underscoring the importance of "freedom of overflight" over the high seas after China declared the controversial air defense identification zone (ADIZ) last month, the Japan Times reports.
The statement will be issued at a special Japan-ASEAN summit in Tokyo next week, the report added.
Japan had proposed to ASEAN last week to add the expression "freedom of overflight" in their draft document, in response to China's new ADIZ, the source said.
China declared the ADIZ on November 23, including the Japan-controlled disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, and demanded that all aircraft should identify themselves and provide flight plans in advance to Chinese authorities, and threatened of emergency defensive measures.