With Trump in White House, Japan's Abe predicts tougher stance on North Korea
After meeting with US President Trump,聽Japanese Prime Minister聽Shinzo聽Abe said that he expected聽the US stance toward North Korea to become tougher than before.
After meeting with US President Trump,聽Japanese Prime Minister聽Shinzo聽Abe said that he expected聽the US stance toward North Korea to become tougher than before.
After returning from a visit with President Trump,聽Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that he believes the United States will take a tougher stance on North Korea than before.聽
"I believe that the stance of the United States towards North Korea will become much tougher, that is clear," Mr. Abe said on an NHK public broadcasting news program, as reported by Reuters.聽"I think there will be a number of different strategies on the table."聽
The remarks came one聽day after聽North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile, a development that resulted in Abe and Mr. Trump quickly crafting responses in the crowded dining room of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in south Florida, a move that some critics argued made national security matters vulnerable to surveillance.
"North Korea's most recent missile launch is absolutely intolerable," said Abe through a translator on Sunday in one of Mar-a-Lago's ballrooms, according to media reports.聽"President Trump and I myself completely share the view that we are going to promote further cooperation between the two nations. And also we are going to further reinforce our alliance."
In turn, Trump followed up Abe's statement by confirming that "the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent."聽
Amid mounting tensions and concern over North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities, analysts say it remains unclear how the Trump administration will approach the threat, as Michael Holtz reported for 海角大神 last month:聽
Some observers have suggested that Trump's unorthodox leadership style may allow him to more effectively deal with North Korea's Kim Jong-un than past presidents have been able to. 聽
"I see the聽advent of Trump聽as an opportunity,"聽Chun Yung-woo, a former South Korean national security advisor who has participated in talks with North Korea, told the Los Angeles Times weeks before Trump's inauguration in January. "In dealing with unconventional leaders like Kim Jong Un, I think a leader like Trump, another unconventional leader, could help. I don't think a conventional approach works better."聽
But others have questioned whether the differences between Trump and previous administrations will truly extend beyond rhetoric.聽
"You get into office and you realize that we don't have a whole lot we can risk," David Kang, a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California, told the Monitor in January. "I don't think Trump is going to be any different. His rhetoric may be different, but I don't think his policies will be."
This report includes material from the Associated Press and Reuters.