Japan PM Abe seeks Trump’s assurances over N. Korea

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will urge US President Donald Trump, during talks on Thursday, not to forget Tokyo’s security concerns in his drive for a historic deal with North Korean leader Kim Jung-un, Reuters reported. Abe has spoken to Trump 30 times since he became president, including eight face-to-face meetings. Concerns have simmered in Tokyo that Trump could cut a deal that would allow him to boast of protecting US cities from nuclear attack but leave Japan vulnerable to shorter range missiles. Japan also fears Trump could eventually agree to reduce US military forces in South Korea. Trump says he wants to drop the term “maximum pressure” against North Korea, but the White House said on Monday that the US policy towards Pyongyang had not changed.