All Saturday morning dailies reported from Singapore on a defense ministerial meeting between Japan and China convened on Friday for the first time in three years, saying that the two officials agreed to promote bilateral defense exchanges. Asahi said the ministers were anxious to highlight improved defense ties ahead of Prime Minister Abe’s summit with President Xi scheduled for Oct. 26 in Beijing. In reply to Defense Minister Iwaya’s remarks that China’s unilateral attempts to alter the status quo in the South China Sea cannot be accepted, the Chinese minister said the area is “stable since freedom of navigation is not disrupted.”