Mattis tells Japanese official U.S. still committed to allies
TOKYO — For the second time in two days, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is trying to assuage an Asian ally’s worries about America’s commitment to the region amid the ongoing denuclearization negotiations with North Korea.
Mattis met Friday with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and afterward told reporters his visit represents
“just how strongly we prioritize this relationship between our two militaries.”
Mattis added that even as the U.S. is in “unprecedented negotiations” with North Korea, “in this dynamic time, the longstanding alliance between Japan and the United States stands firm.”
This month Onodera urged the international community to keep sanctions and surveillance on North Korea, saying it has a history of reneging on agreements.
On Friday, he said the U.S. and Japan must work together toward the dismantlement of “all of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons and ballistic missiles of all ranges.”
Mattis said the two discussed “the opportunities to increase our alliance capabilities, to deepen our cooperation and to enhance regional security.”
Noting the small, blue ribbon-shaped lapel pin the minister was wearing, Mattis offered support for efforts to secure the release of 12 Japanese citizens who were abducted by the North Koreans four decades ago. Japan has argued for their release to be part of the ongoing negotiations with Pyongyang.
Mattis said such humanitarian issues are always present in the deliberations.
On Thursday, Mattis met with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo, assuring him the U.S. will maintain its current number of troops on the Korean Peninsula.
During the Tokyo meeting, Onodera presented Mattis with a paddle resembling those used by sumo referees. It was emblazoned with Chinese characters saying “world peace,” which Onodera later described as their mutual goal. Mattis presented Onodera with a blue tie with small images of the Pentagon on it.
After their meeting, Onodera said they agreed to continue joint military exercises and reinforce the response capability of the U.s.-japan alliance.
The U.S. and Japan, he said, agreed to work with other countries to tackle ship-to-ship transfers by North Korea that may evade sanctions. Japan’s navy has been watching for and submitting photographic evidence of possible violations to the United Nations. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday 10 Tuesday 11 Wednesday 12 Thursday 13 Friday 14 Saturday 15 Sunday 16 Monday 17 Tuesday 18 Wednesday 19 Thursday 20 Friday 21 Saturday 22 Sunday 23 Monday 24 Tuesday 25 Wednesday 26 Thursday 27 Friday 28 Saturday 29 Sunday 30 Monday 31 Tuesday 5:27 5:27 5:28 5:28 5:29 5:29 5:30 5:30 5:31 5:32 5:32 5:33 5:33 5:34 5:35 5:35 5:36 5:37 5:38 5:38 5:39 5:40 5:40 5:41 5:42 5:43 5:43 5:44 5:45 5:46 5:47 8:01 8:01 8:01 8:01 8:01 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 7:59 7:59 7:59 7:58 7:58 7:57 7:57 7:56 7:56 7:55 7:54 7:54 7:53 7:52 7:52 7:51 7:50 7:49 7:49 7:48 7:47 7:46 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 116 (1972) 115 (2013) 116 (1937) 115 (1985) 116 (2007) 115 (2007) 116 (2017) 113 (2017) 113 (2012) 114 (2012) 116 (1959) 114 (2003) 115 (1939) 116 (1972) 114 (2017) 116 (1998) 116 (2005) 116 (2005) 117 (2005) 113 (1959) 113 (1942) 114 (1937) 115 (1942) 117 (1942) 115 (1942) 116 (1943) 115 (2016) 115 (2016) 115 (1995) 114 (1978) 115 (1978) 58 (1938) 62 (1943) 60 (1943) 60 (1941) 60 (1938) 63 (1939) 62 (1939) 60 (1938) 63 (1938) 64 (1948) 62 (1944) 62 (1937) 64 (1944) 63 (1952) 62 (1944) 65 (1944) 62 (1940) 59 (1940) 56 (1937) 58 (1940) 56 (1940) 62 (1943) 61 (1938) 64 (1957) 66 (1944) 65 (1944) 63 (1944) 61 (1984) 64 (1984) 64 (1941) 65 (1940) 110 105 105 107 111 113 115 112 105 104 104 105 108 110 113 109 108 108 93 99 105 107 109 98 84 98 104 107 105 104 107 79 79 75 75 79 85 90 90 89 87 81 81 78 83 87 88 80 79 72 79 78 84 87 84 74 76 78 82 85 72 83