Abe, Biden to confirm Japan-US coordination over China air zone

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Vice President Joe Biden are expected Tuesday to confirm further bilateral coordination amid concerns over China's newly declared air defense zone in the East China Sea that covers a group of disputed islands. Japanese officials hope that Tokyo and Washington can agree on plans to call on Beijing to revoke the measure, which the two nations have criticized as a unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the waters and one that could lead to an incident or invite unintended consequences, according to Japan's (Kyodo) News Agency. During their meeting in Tokyo, Abe and Biden are also expected to reaffirm their countries' resolve to seek a conclusion by the year-end to the ongoing multilateral negotiations for a free trade pact under the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership.