US President Donald Trump Told Japan PM Shinzo Abe that tey must trust them. (File)
Tokyo:
US President Donald Trump told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the United States was with Japan "100 percent" over phone talks they held to discuss North Korea's latest missile launches, Abe told reporters on Tuesday. The two leaders agreed that North Korea's latest actions were a clear breach of United Nations' security resolution and a challenge against regional and international security, Abe added.
"President Trump told me that the United States was with Japan 100 percent, and that he wanted his comments to be communicated to the Japanese people," Abe said at his residence. "He said he wanted us to trust him as well as the United States 100 percent."
They also agreed that "the threat has entered a new stage," Abe said.
Trump also discussed plans to respond to North Korea's recent missile launches with South Korea's acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn, an official at Hwang's office said.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada too conferred on North Korea's missile launches in a telephone call on Monday, the Pentagon said, adding both leaders agreed the launches were "unacceptable and irresponsible."
North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast on Monday, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over US-South Korea military drills it sees as preparation for war.
The missiles traveled about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) and three of them landed in waters close to Japan that are part of its exclusive economic zone.
North Korean weapons programs are rapidly proving to be the most prominent foreign policy question facing Trump's young White House.
The president -- who has little foreign policy experience -- has described North Korea as a "big, big problem" and vowed to deal with the issue "very strongly."
Intelligence officials believe that Pyongyang could be less than two years away from developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the continental United States.
Trump has baldly declared that "it won't happen!" but has yet to articulate how he proposes to neutralize the threat..
(with inputs from Reuters and AFP)
"President Trump told me that the United States was with Japan 100 percent, and that he wanted his comments to be communicated to the Japanese people," Abe said at his residence. "He said he wanted us to trust him as well as the United States 100 percent."
They also agreed that "the threat has entered a new stage," Abe said.
Trump also discussed plans to respond to North Korea's recent missile launches with South Korea's acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn, an official at Hwang's office said.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada too conferred on North Korea's missile launches in a telephone call on Monday, the Pentagon said, adding both leaders agreed the launches were "unacceptable and irresponsible."
North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast on Monday, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over US-South Korea military drills it sees as preparation for war.
The missiles traveled about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) and three of them landed in waters close to Japan that are part of its exclusive economic zone.
North Korean weapons programs are rapidly proving to be the most prominent foreign policy question facing Trump's young White House.
The president -- who has little foreign policy experience -- has described North Korea as a "big, big problem" and vowed to deal with the issue "very strongly."
Intelligence officials believe that Pyongyang could be less than two years away from developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the continental United States.
Trump has baldly declared that "it won't happen!" but has yet to articulate how he proposes to neutralize the threat..
(with inputs from Reuters and AFP)
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
