USA TODAY US Edition

In Japan, Trump targets N. Korea

President seeks pressure from Putin, Asian leaders

- David Jackson USA TODAY

President Trump spent his first day in Asia Sunday by golfing with the Japanese prime minister, disclosing he would soon meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and warning nuclear-armed North Korea against challengin­g the United States.

“No one — no dictator, no regime, and no nation — should underestim­ate, ever, American resolve,” Trump told military service members at Yokota Air Base in Japan, the first stop in a week-long journey that will take him to South Korea and China for talks on what to do about North Korea.

The president is also scheduled to attend Asian economic summits in Vietnam and the Philippine­s, where his criticism of U.S. trade agreements will take center stage.

Trump will try to persuade China and other nations to cut economic ties to North Korea, thereby pressuring its leader Kim Jong Un to give up nuclear weapons. Those other nations include Russia, as Trump announced he would likely meet with Putin on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperatio­n summit in Da Nang, Vietnam.

“We want Putin’s help on North Korea, and we’ll be meeting with a lot of different leaders,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Japan.

A second Trump-Putin conference — they also spoke at July’s G-20 summit in Germany —- will be scrutinize­d beyond diplomatic policy.

Special counsel Robert Mueller and congressio­nal committees are investigat­ing alleged ties between Trump’s campaign team and Russians who sought to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidenti­al election. Trump left for Asia less than a week after the indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

During his first day in Japan, Trump shared lunch, dinner, and a round of golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and talked up the long-term U.S.Japan alliance.

The two leaders are scheduled to hold a news conference Monday.

“We’re in the midst of having very major discussion­s on many subjects, including North Korea and trade, and we’re doing very well,” Trump said before dinner with Abe and their wives.

Abe, who has made a personal relationsh­ip with Trump a top priority, put in special plans for the president’s visit.

The golf match featured a high-profile guest, profession­al star Hideki Matsuyama. Abe allowed journalist­s to see him driving a golf cart with Trump in the passenger seat.

They played at Kasumigase­ki Country Club, site of the golf competitio­n when Japan hosts the 2020 Olympics.

While Abe wants to get close to Trump, analysts said Japanese leaders are wary of the unpredicta­ble Trump, especially on trade.

The president’s decision to kill the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnershi­p undercut Japan, which would have been a key member of the Pacific Rim trading bloc. The Japanese also are watching Trump’s attempts to deal with their primary Asian rival, China.

“They don’t like the unpredicta­bility that comes with Trump’s approach,” said Richard McGregor, author of Asia’s Reckoning: China, Japan, and the Fate of U.S. Power in the Pacific Century.

McGregor also said that, in the back of their collective mind, Japanese leaders also fear that Trump “could do deals with China behind their backs.

With the Russia investigat­ion and other domestic matters still unresolved, Trump visits Asia with political problems back home.

According to a new Washington Post/

ABC News poll, only 37% of respondent­s approve of the job Trump is doing as president.

The Japanese “don’t like the unpredicta­bility that comes with Trump’s approach.”

Author Richard McGregor

 ?? KIM KYUNG-HOON/AP ?? Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made a personal relationsh­ip with President Trump a top priority. On Trump’s first day in Japan, the pair played a round of golf.
KIM KYUNG-HOON/AP Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made a personal relationsh­ip with President Trump a top priority. On Trump’s first day in Japan, the pair played a round of golf.

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