Japan PM says important to solve South China Sea conflict peacefully

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talks to reporters during a joint news conference with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Bogor Palace, West Java, Indonesia January 15, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta

BOGOR (Reuters) - Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during his visit to Indonesia on Sunday that it is important to solve the South China Sea conflict peacefully. "About the South China Sea conflict, we assert the importance of the principle of solving a dispute peacefully," Abe said after meeting Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the presidential palace in Bogor. (Reporting by Jakarta bureau; Writing by Eveline Danubrata; Editing by Catherine Evans)