Japan aiming to counter China, N. Korea with stronger ties with US

November 7, 2017

TOKYO- The aim Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe strived to achieve through US President Donald Trump's first visit to his country was to have Japan's diplomatic policies reflected in the United States' yet-to-to-be-fixed Asia strategies.This aim arose from a sense of crisis regarding an increasingly severe security situation surrounding Japan, with North Korea continuing nuclear and missile development and China boosting maritime assertiveness.

Abe apparently hopes to utilize his personal bond with Trump in countering the moves of such neighboring countries.

"We completely agreed that Japan and the United States will take the lead in increasing the pressure on North Korea to maximum levels through all possible means," Abe told a joint press conference with Trump held after their talks in Tokyo on Monday.

During Trump's stay in Japan, Abe gave him in-depth explanations about the seriousness of the North Korean situation, as he sees that the deterrence of the United States' overwhelming military power is indispensable for making Pyongyang stop repeating nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.

Abe warmly treated Trump in Japan, spending as long as some 10 hours with him, by holding talks, having meals and playing golf, in two days from his arrival on Sunday. Trump left for South Korea on Tuesday morning.

Showing that such efforts were worthwhile, Abe managed to win Trump's all-out support in dealing with issues related to North Korea, including the problem of Japanese nationals abducted to the reclusive state decades ago, which the prime minister said is one of the most important tasks of his cabinet.

In the process of fixing the schedule of Trump's Asian tour, the Japanese government insisted on Tokyo becoming the president's first stop as it hoped to entrust Trump with the task of encouraging China and South Korea to increase the pressure on North Korea.

"We wanted to share the same perception with the US side before the president visits China and South Korea," said a senior official of the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Emphasizing a honeymoon of bilateral ties, Abe told the press conference, "In the history of the Japan-US alliance that has lasted over half a century, there was no period other than this past year when leaders of the two countries developed a bond of this much closeness and depth."

The Trump administration still has not appointed senior officials for taking charge of diplomatic policies and its Asian strategies thus are yet to be brought into full perspective.

Under such circumstances, Abe proposed that Japan and the United States share a free and open Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at achieving stability and growth from Asia to Africa. Abe agreed with Trump, in their latest talks, on the promotion of this strategy, managing to achieve a certain result.

What made Abe to invite Trump in promoting the Indo-Pacific strategy was the presence of China, which is increasing its maritime aggressiveness in the East China Sea and the South China Sea under its "One Belt, One Road" development program for countries along the old Silk Road.

Abe has repeatedly urged the United States to strengthen its involvement in this part of the world.

According to Japanese and US sources, Trump was initially showing reluctance about participating in a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam and a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related summit talks to be held in mid-November.

Abe talked Trump into attending these meetings by claiming that China may accelerate freewheeling activities in the absence of the United States.

Trump eventually accepted the request, saying he would go if Shinzo told him to, calling the prime minister by his first name, the sources said. Jiji Press