Pence in Japan as North Korea seeks new test
US Vice President Mike Pence (left) shakes hands with Japan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Taro Aso following their joint press conference at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo on April 18, 2017. PHOTO | KAZUHIRO NOGI | AFP
What you need to know:
- North Korea intensified concerns over its weapons programme with a vow to launch missile tests “every week”.
- The Japanese PM Shinzo Abe called for a peaceful resolution to the North Korea tensions but did not rule out the need for tough measures.
TOKYO
US Vice President Mike Pence reiterated his country’s commitment to the security of Japan on Tuesday, as North Korea intensified concerns over its weapons programme with a vow to launch missile tests “every week”.
The North, which is intent on developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of reaching the mainland US, defied international pressure on Sunday with a test that failed immediately after launch.
As fears grow that it may also be preparing for its sixth nuclear weapons test, Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-Ryol said that its programme would only escalate.
“We’ll be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis,” Han told the BBC in an interview, threatening “all-out war” if the US took any action against it.
Arriving in Tokyo for talks with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, Pence hailed the two countries’ longstanding security ties.
CORNERSTONE OF PEACE
“The alliance between the US and Japan is the cornerstone of peace and security in Northeast Asia,” he told Abe.
The Japanese leader called for a peaceful resolution to the North Korea tensions but did not rule out the need for tough measures.
“It is a matter of paramount importance for us to seek diplomatic efforts as well as peaceable settlements of the issue,” he said.
“At the same time dialogue for the sake of dialogue is valueless and it is necessary for us to exercise pressure.”
In South Korea on the first leg of an Asian tour, Pence on Monday visited the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone separating the two Koreas and warned Pyongyang against further provocations, saying “all options are on the table”.
North Korea could react to a potential US strike by targeting South Korea or Japan, and officials in both countries have been ill at ease with the more bellicose language deployed by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Pence pointed to Trump’s recent strikes on a Syrian airbase and an Islamic State complex in Afghanistan as a warning to Pyongyang not to underestimate the administration’s resolve.
