Trump’s Tough Talk on North Korea Puts Japan’s Leader in Delicate Spot
Japan is already moving to strengthen its antimissile defenses, and officials are debating whether to acquire weapons like long-range cruise missiles
that would allow the country to strike targets in North Korea, either in retaliation or pre-emptively if it concluded that an attack by the North was imminent.
Mr. Abe, analysts say, has sought favor with Mr. Trump for two reasons: to blunt the president’s criticism of Japan on trade issues — a recurring theme for Mr. Trump during his run for office —
and to ensure the president’s commitment to Japan’s defense.
The missiles, it said, would fly over western Japan — reviving memories of a North Korean missile
that flew over northern Japan in 1998, causing a national uproar.
Tobias Harris said that If it looks like the U.S. set off the chain of events
that led to escalation, and Abe didn’t use his relationship with Trump to moderate that, it’s easy to imagine that there would be a domestic price to pay,
For that reason, support for military action against the North is low in both South Korea and Japan — a fact
that Mr. Trump’s statements are hardly helping to change.
The North’s accelerating military advances — and Mr. Trump’s volatile response — could complicate
Japan’s close alliance with the United States and Mr. Abe’s political future.
