US, Japan totally committed to denuclearizing North Korea
The Japanese Consul to the Southeast says Trump and Abe have good chemistry.
The United States and Japan are 100 percent committed to the denuclearization of North Korea.
“This is no longer time for dialogue with North Korea,” said Japanese Consul General to the Southeast, Takashi Shinozuka, to Rome business leaders Thursday. “This is time to give them pressure, pressure and more pressure.”
Shinozuka, in a presentation to the Rome Rotary Club, said he is hopeful the international community, including China, can work together to deal with the North Korean threat.
The Consul said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump have already developed “a very good chemistry.”
The Japanese Consul, who has been based in Atlanta since January 2016, said it was unfortunate that the United States decided to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership which was originally signed in 2016. Withdrawal from the partnership to promote trade across the Pacific basin was one of the first actions of the Trump administration. “If the United States decides to join us, they would be most welcome,” Shinozuka said.
The Consul General to the Southeastern United States is responsible for relations in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. In the four states, Japan has 1,300 Japanese companies, with a total investment exceeding $35 billion. The total number of employees in the Japanese companies across the four states is nearly 100,000.
In Georgia alone, Shinozuka said 640 Japanese companies have invested nearly $12 billion and provide close to 36,000 jobs.
During his presentation, Shinozuka expressed gratitude to the Rome group for a long-standing sister city relationship with Kumamoto.
Shinozuka revealed that Japanese Emperor Akihito, 83, has agreed to step down at the end of April in 2019 and pass the baton of the oldest continuous monarchy to his son Crown Prince Naruhito. The Emperor has no political power in Japan and is not considered the Head of State