TOKYO — U. S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday reassured two key U. S. treaty allies, South Korea and Japan , that President Donald Trump, who has raised doubts about the value of such partnerships, is fully committed to defending them.
“I want there to be no misunderstanding during the transition in Washington that we stand firmly, 100 percent shoulder-to-shoulder with you and the Japanese people,” Mattis told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Earlier in the day, in Seoul, with his South Korean counterpart, Han Min Koo, at his side, Mattis said, “the United States stands by its commitments, and we stand with our allies, the South Korean people.” He also explicitly warned North Korea against using a nuclear weapon, saying such an act would be met with a response that is “effective and overwhelming.”
These were the only two stops on Mattis’s first overseas trip since taking office Jan. 20. He said he chose to go to Japan and South Korea first in order to demonstrate that nothing will weaken the U. S. security promises.
During the last year’s U. S. presidential campaign, Mr. Trump complained that defense treaties disadvantaged the U. S. and that he would not rule out abandoning signatories, including Japan, if they refuse to pay more for their defense. He also suggested that South Korea and Japan, which are already within the range of North Korean missiles , might acquire their own nuclear weapons rather than rely on U. S. deterrence.
In Seoul on Friday, Mattis was firm in stating that Washington will not waver in the face of defiant progress by North Korea toward developing a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and hitting the U. S.
“North Korea continues to launch missiles, develop its nuclear weapons program, and engage in threatening rhetoric and behavior,” Mattis said.
