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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a regional security forum that Tokyo would offer its "utmost support" to Southeast Asian countries - several locked in maritime rows with Beijing - in their efforts to protect their seas and airspace, as he pitched his plan for Japan to take on a bigger international security role. Abe, in his keynote address on Friday at the Shangri-La Dialogue for security officials and experts from Asia, also stressed the need for all countries to respect international law - often code for criticizing China's assertive military stance. Tensions have ratcheted up in the region, where Japan has a festering dispute with China over tiny isles in the sea between the two Asian economic giants. Beijing and several Southeast Asia countries are at odds over rival claims to the oil-and-gas rich South China Sea.More...