Japanese leader coy about Trump Nobel nomination
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declined to reveal Monday whether he nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, but he lauded the U.S. leader for his efforts to defuse the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
Trump said Friday that Abe had nominated him.
“I’m not saying it’s untrue,” Abe told a Budget Committee session of Japan’s Lower House. “The Nobel committee doesn’t reveal who submits nominations, or those who were nominated, for 50 years.
Abe credited Trump with responding to North Korea’s nuclear efforts “in a decisive manner.” Abe said Trump conveyed to dictator Kim Jong Un the urgency of resolving the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents.
Abe’s claims drew rebuke from Yuichiro Tamaki, who heads the opposition Democratic Party for the People.
“Nothing has been resolved. None of the abduction, nuclear and missile issues were resolved,” Tamaki said.
The deadline for submitting nominations to the Norwegian Nobel Committee was Jan. 31. The winner will be selected in October.
“Abe gave me the most beautiful copy of a letter that he sent to the people who give out a thing called the Nobel Prize,” Trump said. “He said, ‘I have nominated you, respectfully, on behalf of Japan. I am asking them to give you the Nobel Peace Prize.’ ”
The Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun reported that the U.S. government “informally” asked Tokyo to nominate Trump for the 2019 prize after Trump met with Kim in Singapore in June.
In recent months, Trump has showered praise on Kim, whom he used to derisively call “Little Rocket Man.” Months after their Singapore summit, Trump said that Kim had written him “beautiful letters” and that the two “fell in love.” The duo plan to meet again next week in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
Trump was asked Friday why he merited Abe’s nomination for the iconic prize.
“Because he had rocket ships and he had missiles flying over Japan,” Trump responded. “They had alarms going off. You know that. Now, all of a sudden they feel good. They feel safe. I did that.”