Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expresses concern over "unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force" in the Asia-Pacific region.
The comments come during the 10th PALM summit in Tokyo, attended by 18 Pacific island state leaders.
Neither Kishida nor a joint statement issued after the summit make explicit reference to China, but the language used is often employed by the US and its allies to reference Beijing's growing hold and military capacity in the region.