Trump breaks with Abe, says not bothered by NK missile tests

The visit was designed to highlight the U.S.-Japan alliance and showcase the warm relations between the leaders. Trump said he and Abe deliberated over economic issues, including trade and Iran, during hours of talks at the Akasaka Palace, but North Korea’s recent firing of short-range missiles emerged as an area of disagreement.

When asked if he was bothered by the missile tests, Trump said: “No, I’m not. I am personally not.”

The Republican president has sought to downplay the significance of the missile tests, even though his own national security adviser, John Bolton, said over the weekend that they violated U.N. resolutions.

Trump continues to hold out hope of getting Kim to agree to give up his nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, despite two summits he’s had with the North Korean leader that produced no concrete pledge to denuclearize the peninsula.

Trump praised Kim, calling him a “smart man” who might have launched the missiles earlier this month to “get attention.”

“All I know is there have been no nuclear tests, no ballistic missiles going out, no long-range missiles going out and I think that someday we’ll have a deal,” Trump said, adding that he is in “no rush.”

Trump is correct that North Korea has not recently tested a long-range missile that could reach the U.S. But earlier this month, North Korea fired off a series of short-range missiles that alarmed U.S. allies in closer proximity to North Korea, including Japan. The tests broke a pause in North Korea’s ballistic missile launches that began in late 2017.

Abe reiterated his previous statement that the tests were conducted in defiance of the U.N.

“This is violating the Security Council resolution,” Abe said, adding that, as North Korea’s neighbour, Japan feels threatened. “It is of great regret. But at the same time between Kim Jong Un and President Trump a certain new approach was taken and that is something that I pay tribute to.”

Earlier Monday, Trump said he backed Abe’s interest in leveraging his country’s good relations with Iran to help broker a possible dialogue between the U.S. and its nemesis in the Middle East. Abe said he is willing to do whatever he can to help to reduce escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

Trump and Abe discussed the issue earlier Monday. Abe could visit Iran next month.

“Peace and stability of (the) Middle East is very important for Japan and the United States and also for the international community as a whole,” Abe said.

The leaders held hours of talks after the U.S. president — at Abe’s invitation — became the first world leader to meet Japan’s new emperor, Naruhito, who ascended to the throne May 1.

The meeting with Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, was preceded by a grand outdoor welcome ceremony at Japan’s Imperial Palace, where Trump walked solo across red carpets, reviewing Japanese troops as the guest of honour.

Trump’s official visit also included golf with Abe, presenting a trophy to a sumo wrestling champion and a black-tie banquet at the palace. The visit included hours of one-on-one time for Trump and Abe, who has been trying to remain on Trump’s good side despite disagreements between them on trade and other issues.

Trump didn’t hold back at the news conference when he was asked about Biden, declaring himself “not a fan.”

“Kim Jong Un made a statement that Joe Biden is a low-I.Q. individual,” Trump said, adding that Kim probably based his assessment on Biden’s record and “I probably agree with him on that.”

U.S. officeholders usually avoid engaging in politics while on foreign soil, hewing to the adage that politics stops at the water’s edge. But Trump’s sharp attack on Biden, through his declaration of agreement with Kim, set aside that long-standing norm.

Trump and Abe largely glossed over their difference on trade, despite the potentially crippling tariffs on foreign autos that Trump is threatening to impose on Japan and the European Union. Trump declined to say what Japan would have to do to avoid those tariffs, but complained of an “unbelievably large” trade imbalance with the nation.

Still, he said he expects to reach trade deals at some point with both Japan and China, but wouldn’t rush it.

“I think we will have a deal with Japan. Likewise, I think we will have a deal with China sometime into the future,” he said. Trump has tried to pressure China by slapping tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese goods.

“I don’t believe that China can continue to pay these really hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs,” he said.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet during a world leaders’ summit next month in Osaka, Japan.

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Follow Superville and Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/dsupervilleap and https://twitter.com/colvinj .

Jill Colvin And Darlene Superville, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Trump breaks with Abe, says not bothered by NK missile tests

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