SUVA, FIJI – 

Japan and Pacific Island nations on Monday expressed their strong opposition to any coercion or unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion during a ministerial meeting held amid China's growing influence in the region, according to a chair's summary.

Following a meeting in the Fijian capital of Suva, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told reporters that she agreed with her counterparts from the 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) regarding the importance of the "international rules-based order," while pledging continued support to the strategically important region.

As for Japan's release of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific, about which some forum members have expressed concern, the ministers concurred on the importance of Japan providing explanations based on "scientific evidence," according to the summary.