President’s praise for ‘crucial ally’ Japan

President Donald Trump praised Japan as a “crucial ally” and warned adversaries not to test America’s resolve as he kicked off his first trip to Asia.

Mr Trump landed at Yokota Air Base on the outskirts of Tokyo and was greeted by cheering service members.

He then gave a speech in which he touted US firepower and the US alliance with Japan.

“Japan is a treasured partner and crucial ally of the United States and today we thank them for welcoming us and for decades of wonderful friendship between our two nations,” he said.

Mr Trump is likely to spend much of his 12-day, five-country Asian tour exhorting allies and rivals to step up efforts to counter the dangers posed by North Korea, which continues to grow a nuclear weapons programme.

Both he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have been engaged in an escalating war of words, with Mr Trump repeatedly referring to the North Korean leader as “Little Rocket Man” and threatening in a recent speech to “totally destroy” the nation if necessary.

Even before he landed, Mr Trump used the first moments of the trip to denounce the North as “a big problem” that must “be solved.”

“There’s been 25 years of total weakness, so we are taking a very much different approach” toward the North, he told reporters travelling with him.

Some regional analysts have speculated that Trump’s presence in Asia may prompt North Korea to take provocative action, such as another missile test.