Japanese Ambassador in the Philippines Endo Kazuya expressed concern on the recent harassment of Chinese vessels against Philippine ships in the West Philippine Sea.

In an interview during the celebration of the 71st anniversary of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) aboard the destroyer JS ISE in Manila late Monday, Endo reiterated the stand of the Japanese government opposing actions that will intensify the tension in the South China Sea.

"We oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force as well as any actions that increase tensions in the South China Sea," he said.

"We are concerned about the repeated harassment and actions involving the use of water cannons. We'd like to stress the importance of respecting UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the 2016 Arbitral Award," he added.

Last Friday, the Chinese Coast Guard conducted a dangerous maneuver and fired water cannons against the vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal.

The BFAR vessels with Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel aboard were deployed in the area to distribute supplies to the Filipino fishermen when they were harassed by the China Coast Guard.

Earlier on Monday, the United States Embassy also expressed their support to the Philippine humanitarian mission in Scarborough Shoal and condemned China Coast Guard's harassment against the BFAR vessel.

"The United States stands with the Philippines in upholding freedom of navigation and condemning the China Coast Guard’s dangerous actions that disrupted a lawful Philippine mission to provide supplies to fisherfolk within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ)," it stated. Robina Asido/DMS