Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan appealed to President Trump to keep him in the loop as the United States seeks a disarmament deal with North Korea.
DAVOS, Switzerland — A month before President Trump is scheduled to meet for a second time with Kim Jong-un of North Korea, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan appealed to Mr. Trump to keep him in the loop as he seeks a disarmament deal with the North.
Mr. Abe, speaking in an interview Wednesday at the World Economic Forum, said he was confident that he was in sync with Mr. Trump on North Korea. But privately, Japanese officials and analysts worry that the American president will make a deal with Mr. Kim that leaves Japan vulnerable to a missile strike from the North.
“I would like to make sure that both of our national security councils, as well as national security advisers and relevant teams, would collaborate as we move forward,” Mr. Abe said, “so that we will be able to meet the goal of denuclearization of North Korea.”
The first time Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim met, in Singapore last June, the two leaders agreed to a vague commitment to work toward the “complete denuclearization of North Korea.” Left unsettled was the status of North Korea’s arsenal of medium- and short-range missiles, which are capable of striking Japan.
