TOKYO: After a relaxed day of golf and informal meals, US President Donald Trump kicks off his Asia tour in earnest on Monday (Nov 6) as he holds talks with Japanese leaders about tackling the threat posed by nuclear-armed North Korea. Trump began his marathon trip in belligerent form,
TOKYO: After a relaxed day of golf and informal meals, US President Donald Trump kicks off his Asia tour in earnest on Monday (Nov 6) as he holds talks with Japanese leaders about tackling the threat posed by nuclear-armed North Korea.
Trump began his marathon trip in belligerent form, warning that “no dictator” should “underestimate” US resolve, a clear swipe at North Korea and its young leader Kim Jong-Un.
But on Monday he will begin a day of summit talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, with one eye on events back home after a gunman shot dead some two dozen worshippers at a Baptist church in Texas during Sunday morning services.
The president is in Asia with tensions over North Korea at fever pitch, as US bombers fly sorties over the Korean peninsula and concerns mount that Pyongyang might stage another nuclear or missile test.
Japan has already seen North Korean missiles fly over its northern islands and endured threats from Pyongyang to “sink” it into the sea.
Hawkish Abe and Trump are closely allied on the North Korea issue, with the Japanese prime minister sticking firmly to the US line that “all options” are on the table to deal with the rogue state.
“The closeness of the relationship is unprecedented. And the degree to which US and Japanese strategies are aligned, both on the Korean Peninsula but also throughout the Indo-Pacific, is also unprecedented,” a senior Trump administration official said Sunday.
This closeness was demonstrated on the first day, when the two golfing buddies hit the course within hours of Trump touching down on Japanese soil.
