Japan and the Philippines will convey to President-elect Donald Trump the urgent need for the U.S. to remain committed to help uphold the rule of law in an Asian region where security concerns have become “increasingly severe,

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who is set to attend Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, also stressed the necessity of being on the same wavelength as the incoming president’s team.

The foreign ministers of the Philippines and Japan expressed concern about the security situation in the East and South China Seas on Wednesday and discussed their work together amid an evolving geopolitical landscape,