Mattis seeks to appease Japanese concerns in North Korea's denuclearization effort

TOKYO – The United States will maintain its commitment to the security of Japan as it seeks to implement President Trump's nuclear deal with South Korea. North, said Friday the secretary of defense.

"We are currently engaged in unprecedented negotiations with North Korea, but in this dynamic period, the long-standing alliance between Japan and the United States remains firm," Mattis told reporters. from the Japanese Ministry of Defense in Tokyo.

"We will not take into account our alliance with another democratic and free nation in this separate negotiation, so it is firm," he said.

Mattis spoke at the end of a tour in Asian countries. The agreement reached on June 12 by Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

For Japan, the agreement, while being welcome in its goal to strip Pyongyang of its nuclear arsenal, [19659007] The Tokyo alliance with Washington, including a US military footprint of about 50,000 men, is the cornerstone of Japan's security strategy. But the Trump administration, as part of its negotiating strategy with North Korea, has already suspended the military exercises that it is conducting with South Korea, another key ally of Asia. , and suggested that its future presence in this country could be reduced if the threat of North Korea disappeared.

The Japanese government, for its part, expressed concern about the reliability of North Korea in its commitment to denuclearize. Speaking ahead of a meeting later in the day with Mattis, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said the UN's resolutions against North Korea should be maintained until the country shows progress to end its nuclear program and take other measures. pose to his neighbors.

"There has been a step forward in North Korean issues, but I think we really need to keep our relations up," he said. "There are a lot of things that have yet to be worked out there."

For Japan, these steps must include not only the abandonment of nuclear weapons but also the biological and chemical weapons and ballistic missiles of all Mattis not specifically addressing chemical and biological weapons in his remarks but stated that the United States would maintain its approach of supporting the diplomatic effort by military force

. In response to another major Japanese concern, Mattis focused on talks with Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera on the plight of Japanese people allegedly abducted by North Korea

. of nationals allegedly taken by the North and detained there, sometimes for decades. The number of abductees in North Korea is estimated at about 12, according to US authorities