North Korea will face “strong military consequences” if it were to launch a military strike at the United States or its allies, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said in Washington on Thursday in a joint news conference alongside Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and their visiting Japanese counterparts,…
TOKYO – North Korea will face “strong military consequences” if it were to launch a military strike at the United States or its allies, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said in Washington on Thursday (Aug 17) .
He made the remarks at a joint news conference alongside US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and their visiting Japanese counterparts, whom also pledged to step up their defence cooperation against the North Korean threat.
Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera and Foreign Minister Taro Kono are in Washington for high-level “two-plus-two” talks in which the isolated regime had dominated the agenda.
“I just can assure you that, in close collaboration with our allies, there are strong military consequences if the DPRK initiates hostilities, ” Mr Mattis said, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Mr Tillerson added: “Our approach has been endorsed by the President.”
Their comments have been seen as a direct rebuttal of a remark by White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who told a US magazine earlier this week that there was “no military solution here” and that the threats by the isolated North was “just a sideshow”.
Mr Onodera added: “In light of the threat of North Korea, the four of us confirmed the importance of the unwavering US commitment to extended deterrence.”
In their joint statement, the US and Japan “condemned in the strongest terms North Korea’s recurring provocations and development of nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities”, saying they have entered a new phase and pose an increasing threat.
“Japan intends to expand its role in the Alliance and augment its defence capabilities, with an eye on the next planning period for its mid-term defence program, ” the statement said. “The US remains committed to deploying its most advanced capabilities to Japan.”
Such new areas include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, training and exercises, research and development, capacity building, and the joint or shared use of facilities.
