Japanese Prime Minister Abe Supports President Trump On North Korea

NORTH KOREA THREAT. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe answers questions during a political debate ahead of the general elections at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on October 8, 2017. Photo by Toru Yamanaka/AFP

FOX News: Japan fully backs Trump on North Korea, Abe says

President Donald Trump’s “all options on the table” stance regarding North Korea has the full support Japan’s government, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday.

Abe’s remarks came during a televised debate among leaders of Japan’s major political parties. The nation’s voters will head to the polls Oct. 22 for parliamentary elections.

The Japanese leader said North Korea had failed to deliver on past promises to end its pursuit of nuclear technology made during "six-party" talks with Japan, China, the U.S., Russia and South Korea.

“They used the framework of the dialogue to earn time so that they could develop their nuclear technology," Abe said. "As the result, their nuclear capability has reached to this level and we cannot afford being deceived by them again.”

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Update: Abe says Japan fully behind US on pressuring North Korea (ABC News/AP)

WNU Editor: Japanese Prime Minister Abe is hoping that his North Korean position will help him win this month's elections .... At debate, Abe pins election hopes on tough stance against North Korea (Japan Times).

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Visits Pearl Harbor With President Barack Obama

Daily Mail: 'We must resist the urge to turn inward. We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different,' Obama says during historic visit to Pearl Harbor with Japan's Abe 75 years after sneak attack on US base

* Abe is paying his respects to the soldiers who died in his country's unexpected attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base 75 years ago
* The Japanese leader did not say he was sorry for the military action
* Mirrors a visit Obama made to Hiroshima, the Japanese city the U.S. obliterated at the end of the fight, in May; he didn't apologize either
* Closes the loop on Obama's pursuit of nuclear non-proliferation as president and his Asia rebalance that included a trade agreement Donald Trump wants to scrap
* Obama is vacationing in Hawaii with his family and visited the USS Arizona Memorial with Abe this afternoon
* They met earlier today in private before a wreath laying ceremony and their remarks

President Barack Obama asked Americans once more to reject the politics of division, taking a subtle jab at his successor, Republican Donald Trump, as he stood aboard a memorial commemorating the men and women who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Accompanied by Japan's Shinzo Abe, Obama said the United States' alliance with its wartime foe is a reminder 'the most bitter of adversaries can become the strongest allies' and 'the fruits of peace always outweigh the plunder of war.'

'It is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward,' the two-term president, who leaves office in less than month, said Tuesday. 'We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different.'

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More News On Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Visiting Pearl Harbor With President Barack Obama

Japan's Abe offers 'everlasting condolences' at Pearl Harbor -- AP
Obama, Japan’s PM pay homage to Pearl Harbor victims -- France 24
Japan PM Shinzo Abe makes landmark visit to Pearl Harbor -- BBC
Obama, Japan’s Abe make somber visit to Pearl Harbor 75 years after surprise attack -- Washington Post
Japan’s Prime Minister Visits Pearl Harbor with President Barack Obama -- WSJ
Japan's Abe offers 'everlasting condolences' at Pearl Harbor -- US News and World Report
Japanese PM in historic visit to Pearl Harbour with Barack Obama -- Press Association
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and President Obama Reaffirm Ties at Pearl Harbor -- NBC
Obama at Pearl Harbor: Our alliance with Japan 'has never been stronger' -- CNN
Obama, Japan's Abe show solidarity in Pearl Harbor visit -- Reuters

U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump To Meet Japanese Prime Minister

Washington Post: Trump transition kicks into higher gear, as president-elect plans to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Abe

Donald Trump’s transition to power as president kicked into higher gear on Thursday, as transition officials were expected to fan out across federal agencies and Trump prepared for an important meeting with Japan’s prime minister.

The 5 p.m. session with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump’s first with a foreign leader since the election, has raised questions among some in Washington’s foreign policy community because Trump has apparently not been briefed by the State Department. Officials said Wednesday that the transition team has not reached out to State.

A former State Department official said such a meeting would normally be preceded by numerous briefings from key diplomats, which is considered especially important here because the Japanese are concerned about comments Trump made on the campaign trail. The president-elect repeatedly said that Japan, along with South Korea, should pay more for their defense and that he would make them pay more for hosting U.S. military bases.

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WNU Editor: This is a hastily arranged meeting .... nothing serious will be coming out from it but a good photo-op.

More News On U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump To Meet Japanese Prime Minister

Japan's Abe set to meet Trump in hastily arranged New York meeting -- Reuters
Japan's Abe to meet with Trump to 'build trust' -- UPI
Abe Hopes to Build Trust with Trump at Thursday Talks -- VOA
Abe to meet with Trump in New York -- Politico
Trump to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe -- USA Today
Japan's Abe on US mission to 'build trust' with Donald Trump -- CNN
Trump’s meeting with Abe reflects emphasis on Japan: Trump aide -- Japan Times/Kyodo/Reuters/Bloomberg

U.S., Japan, And India To Hold A Major Naval Drill Off The Coast Of Okinawa This Friday

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer Kurama (L), which is carrying Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, leads the JMSDF fleet during its fleet review at Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo October 18, 2015. REUTERS/TORU HANAI

Reuters: U.S., Japan, India to hold major naval drill in Western Pacific

A fleet of U.S., Japanese and Indian warships will hold a large-scale joint naval exercise over eight days from Friday in the Western Pacific, close to a Japanese island chain, part of which China claims.

As China pushes its territorial claims in the neighboring South China Sea, Tokyo and Washington worry it will look to extend its influence into the Western Pacific, with a growing fleet of submarines and surface vessels to ply distant oceans.

The drill, dubbed Malabar, is an annual event between the U.S. and India, and Japan is joining it this year for the first time since 2007, Japan's Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

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Update: Japan, U.S., India to hold major naval drill off Okinawa starting Friday (Japan Times).

WNU editor: This is what I call sending a message to China.

The US Navy Bans Drinking For All Sailors In Japan And Is Now Confining Them To Base

Okinawa residents stage a protest against the murder of 20-year-old Rina Shimabukuro by a former US Marine in front of the gate of Camp Foster on May 22, 2016. (AFP photo)

Reuters: U.S. Navy slaps drinking ban on 18,600 sailors in Japan

The U.S. Navy slapped a drinking ban on sailors stationed in Japan on Monday and halted off base liberty after police arrested a U.S. sailor on the southern island of Okinawa on suspicion of drunk driving following a car crash that injured two people.

"For decades we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan. It is imperative that each sailor understand how our actions affect that relationship and the U.S. Japan alliance as a whole," Rear Admiral Matthew Carter, commander of U.S. naval forces in Japan said in a press release on Monday.

The United States has 18,600 sailors stationed in Japan.

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More News On The US Navy Banning Drinking For All Sailors In Japan

U.S. Navy confines sailors to bases in Japan, imposes open-ended alcohol ban -- Japan Times
Navy bans drinking alcohol in Japan -- AP
U.S. Navy bans booze in Japan -- CNN
U.S. Navy bans alcohol in Okinawa after crime spree -- USA Today
US Sailors in Japan Barred From Drinking, Navy Says -- ABC News
US Navy Bans Alcohol Consumption in Japan After Drunk Driving Incident -- VOA
US Navy troops in Japan banned from drinking after latest arrest -- BBC
US navy in Okinawa imposes alcohol ban after drink-drive arrest -- The Guardian
The US Navy Just Banned Drinking for Sailors in Japan -- VICE News and Reuters

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Has No Plans To Go To Pearl Harbour

Politico: Japanese PM Abe: No plans to go to Pearl Harbor

President Barack Obama is going to Hiroshima this week, but his Japanese counterpart has no plans to visit Pearl Harbor as a reciprocal gesture.

Although Obama will visit the Hiroshima on Friday becoming the first sitting commander in chief to do so more than seven decades after a nuclear bomb destroyed the city in an attempt to end World War II, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday during a joint press conference in Shima, Japan, that a trip to the Hawaiian harbor is not currently planned.

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Update: Obama looks to Hiroshima visit; Abe won’t go to Pearl Harbor -- Washington Post/AP

WNU Editor: Japanese PM Abe is not interested in going to Pearl Harbour .... his focus (and this is who he is) is to bring the G7 leaders to this place .... G7 in Japan: concern over world leaders' tour of nationalistic shrine (The Guardian).

Japanese PM Abe 'Dresses Down' President Obama On Okinawa Murder

Washington Post: Okinawa murder dominates talks between Obama and Abe

TOKYO — The brutal murder of an Okinawa woman, allegedly by a U.S. military contractor, dominated a meeting between the American and Japanese leaders Wednesday night, with President Obama expressing his “deepest regrets” to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the “tragedy.”

The murder has reignited outrage in the southern island prefecture over the large American military presence there, with thousands of people protesting Wednesday outside the U.S. Air Force base where the contractor worked.

“This is an unforgivable crime, and I have expressed our anger. It has shocked not just the Okinawa people but also all the people of Japan,” Abe told reporters after an hour-long bilateral meeting with Obama in Ise-Shima, ahead of the Group of Seven summit that will begin Thursday. The Okinawa case took up most of the time, Abe said.

Okinawa police last week arrested Kenneth Shinzato, a 32-year-old former U.S. Marine, in connection with the murder of 20-year-old Rina Shimabukuro. Shinzato was working as a computer and electrical contractor on Kadena Air Base.

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WNU Editor: This is not what President Obama expected on his Japanese visit.

More News On Japanese PM Abe's Protests On The Recent Murder Of A Woman By A US Citizen On Okinawa

Japan's Abe publicly scolds Obama -- Politico
Japan PM protests Okinawa crime to Obama, who promises cooperation -- Reuters
President Obama Lectured by Japanese Prime Minister Over Okinawa Murder -- ABC News
Japan PM Shinzo Abe slams Obama over "despicable" Okinawa murder -- CBS
Abe Tells Obama: 'Profound Resentment' Over Okinawa Killing -- VOA
Abe protests Okinawa murder as Obama vows cooperation in bilateral talks ahead of G-7 kickoff -- Japan Times
President Obama calls Okinawa crime 'inexcusable' -- USA Today

More Talk On President Obama Visiting Hiroshima Or Nagasaki This Summer

President Obama with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan in Washington last year. Mr. Obama, who will attend a summit meeting in Japan this month, once said he would be “honored” to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki during his presidency. Credit Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

New York Times: Obama Weighs Visiting Hiroshima or Nagasaki

WASHINGTON — When President Obama first visited Japan in November 2009, he said he hoped someday to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the United States dropped atomic bombs during World War II.

With his fourth and likely final visit to Japan as president scheduled this month for a Group of 7 meeting for leaders of industrialized nations, the White House is deciding whether Mr. Obama will follow through. No sitting American president has ever visited the cities, because of concerns that such a trip would suggest that the United States was apologizing for the attacks.

“The memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are etched in the minds of the world, and I would be honored to have the opportunity to visit those cities at some point during my presidency,” Mr. Obama said in 2009.

The calculus for a visit is particularly complicated for Mr. Obama. Political opponents have often falsely accused him of undertaking an “apology tour” of world capitals in his first year in office, so anything that even hints at atonement would feed that criticism.

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WNU Editor: Like Cuba earlier this year, President Obama will visit one of the cities when he is in Japan later this year .... critics be damned.

A Dozen F-22s Have Been Deployed To japan

Image Credit U.S. Air Force

The Aviationist: A dozen F-22 Raptors have arrived in Japan amid tensions in Northeast Asia over North Korea’s nuclear test

Twelve F-22s belonging to the 525th Fighter Squadron from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, have arrived at Yokota airbase, in western Tokyo, on Jan. 20.

The dozen Raptor stealth fighters will soon be joined by 14 F-16s from the 18th Aggressor Squadron, based at Eielson AFB, Alaska, and will be involved in a previously scheduled joint training in Japan.

Although it’s still not clear whether the aircraft belong to an Air Force Theater Security Package (TSP), their presence in the region will also “promote” stability amid growing tensions in the Asia-Pacific theater following North Korea’s nuclear test on Jan. 6 and the election of a pro-independence president in Taiwan.

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WNU Editor: One can only assume that they have been deployed to Japan to be within range of North Korea.

Japan Expresses Concerns Over Reports of U.S. Spying

VOA: Japan Expresses 'Serious Concern' Over US Spying Reports

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his "serious concern" over allegations the United States spied on senior Japanese government and business officials.

Prime Minister Abe also called for an investigation into the matter during a phone call with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, according to Japan's top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga.

"If it is true these Japanese individuals were targeted, it could shake the relationship of trust in our alliance and I would have to express serious concerns," Suga quoted Abe as telling Biden.

WNU Editor: I suspect that the Japanese already knew that the U.S. was spying .... Wikileaks only made it public.

More News On Japan Expressing Concerns Over Reports Of U.S. Spying

Japan seeks WikiLeaks investigation -- The Australian
Japan expresses 'serious concern' over U.S. spying -- UPI
Japan Asks U.S. to Conduct Wikileaks Investigation -- WSJ
US tries to reassure Japan after documents reveal spying -- AP
Japan's Abe asks Biden for investigation of possible U.S. spying -- Reuters

U.S. Will Use Conventional AND Nuclear Weapons To Defend Japan

© REUTERS/ Thomas Peter

Sputnik: US Ready to Use Nuclear, Conventional Weapons to Defend Japan

According to a joint statement released on Monday, the US is ready to use nuclear and conventional weapons to defend Japan.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is ready to use all military options, including nuclear weapons, to defend its Japanese ally.

“Central to this is the ironclad US commitment to the defense of Japan, through the full range of US military capabilities, including nuclear and conventional.”

The US Navy base in Yokosuka will station more ballistic missile defense warships by 2017 and receive an advanced nuclear-powered supercarrier in 2015, according to a joint US-Japan statement issued on Monday.

WNU Editor: Nothing new about the commitment .... I just find it strange that they are publicly stating what everyone always assumed was the case.

The US And Japan Strike A New Military Agreement

U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships steam in formation during their military manoeuvre exercise known as Keen Sword 15 in the sea south of Japan, in this November 19, 2014 handout provided by the U.S. Navy. REUTERS/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chris Cavagnaro/U.S. Navy/Handout

Reuters: U.S., Japan unveil new defense guidelines for global Japanese role

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Japan and the United States unveiled new guidelines for defense cooperation on Monday, reflecting Japan's willingness to take on a more robust international role at a time of growing Chinese power and rising concerns about nuclear-armed North Korea.

Washington told Japanese leaders its commitment to Japan's security remained "iron-clad" and covered all territories under Tokyo's administration, including tiny East China Sea islets that Japan disputes with Beijing.

More News On The New U.S. - Japan Defense Agreement

US, Japan Strike New Military Agreement -- Defense News
U.S., Japan Announce New Security Agreement -- WSJ
US, Japan boost military ties with eye on China -- The Hill
Japan and US unveil defence deal -- BBC
New guidelines allow Japan to defend U.S. and other countries -- CNN
U.S., Japan modernize military alliance -- FOX News/EFE
US, Japan unveil new defense guidelines in nod to expanded role for Tokyo -- Al Jazeera
US & Japan unveil new defense policy amid China tensions -- RT
New US-Japan Military Guidelines ‘Unrestricted by Geography’ - Carter -- Sputnik
New US-Japan Defense Guidelines Strengthen Deterrence of North Korea -- Sputnik
US, Japan Announce Historic Revision of Defense Cooperation Guidelines -- VOA
Japan military to take more assertive role – officials -- Rappler
Officials Warn Senkakus Fall Under US Protection; Japan To Take "More Assertive" Military Role -- Zero Hedge
How far is Japan willing to go to back the United States? -- Peter Van Buren, Reuters

U.S. Commits To Defending Japanese Islands That Are In Dispute With China

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter inspect an honor guard at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo. REUTERS

Reuters: U.S.-Japan defense guidelines to specify islands' defense: newspaper

(Reuters) - Japan and the United States will likely include an explicit reference to defence of far-flung Japanese islands in an update of security cooperation guidelines amid concerns about China's increasing military assertivness, a Japanese newspaper reported.

The daily Yomiuri Shimbun said on Tuesday that Japan had requested the revision include a clear commitment by U.S. forces in the event of an attack on Japanese islands. Tokyo is locked in a long-running dispute with Beijing over islets in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

The allies are expected to announce agreement over the revised guidelines later this month. U.S. President Barack Obama is due to meet Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Washington on April 28 for a summit.

Update: Japan-U.S. defense guidelines to cover remote islands -- Japan News/The Yomiuri Shimbun

WNU Editor: With China forcefully asserting its maritime claims,  the U.S. had to respond to reassure its allies. My only surprise is that it took this long.

How Do The Americans And Japanese See Each Other

Ankit Panda, The Diplomat: How Do the United States and Japan See Each Other?

A new study sheds light on public attitudes in the United States and Japan.

The alliance between the United States and Japan is turning out to be one of the more important geopolitical features of the Asia-Pacific region amid China’s rise. Over the past 40 some years, the alliance has been central to Asia’s security architecture. As times change in the region, so has the alliance. Japan, long a pacifist state without much of an interest in military matters, is redefining the role of its Self-Defense Forces following a resolution that now allows the country to exercise the right to collective self-defense. As a consequence of that move, the United States and Japan are revisiting their defense cooperation guidelines — the terms that govern the nature of military cooperation between the two countries.

More News On How Do The United States and Japan See Each Other

Americans, Japanese: Mutual Respect 70 Years After the End of WWII -- PEW Research
5 facts to help understand the U.S.-Japan relationship -- PEW Research
US, Japan trust each other but both wary of China: poll -- AFP
Poll: Americans divided over Japan's military role in Asia -- Military Times/AP
Trust Is Strong Between People of U.S. and Japan, Pew Survey Finds -- WSJ
Pew: Japan And U.S. Respect Each Other And Distrust China -- NPR
Poll: Japanese have low opinion of Americans -- USA Today
Do Japanese People Really Have a Low Opinion of Americans? -- Global Voices

U.S. And Japan To Expand Their Defense Ties

VOA: Defense Secretary Hails US-Japan Alliance

TOKYO - Beginning his first Asia tour, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter laid out the U.S. commitment to Japanese security Wednesday in Tokyo, urging restraint in territorial disputes between Japan and China.

China’s dispute with Japan over Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea and its controversial actions in the South China Sea set the backdrop for U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter’s talks with Japan’s defense minister.

"We don't, as we frequently say, take a stand in any of those territorial disputes. We take a strong stand against the militarization of these disputes," he said.

More News On The U.S. And Japan Expanding Their Defense Ties

US, Japan to boost cooperation in defence talks -- AFP
Carter Hails New U.S.-Japan Defense Guidelines as Transformative -- Bloomberg
U.S. defense chief says new guidelines will ‘transform’ U.S.-Japan alliance -- Japan Times
US, Japan defense chiefs urge deeper bilateral ties, say Okinawa base plan is only solution -- FOX News/AP
US Defense Chief In Japan To Show Alliance Strong Amid China Worries -- IBTimes
Attacks on close allies covered by new U.S.-Japan defense guidelines: Officials -- Asia Times
New Okinawa base fueling anti-US sentiment as DefSec Ash Carter visits Japan -- RT
US, Japan Cement Defense Ties Promoting Space and Cybersecurity -- Sputnik
US, Japan announce expansion of defense ties -- Stars and Stripes
New defense rules would give Japan new powers to aid U.S. military -- Washington Post

US, Japan, S. Korea Sign North Korean Intel Pact

US, Japan, S. Korea Sign Pyongyang Intel Pact -- Voice of America

The United States, South Korea and Japan have agreed to share classified information concerning nuclear threats from Pyongyang.

According to the Pentagon, under the trilateral pact that went into effect Monday, the U.S. Defense Department will be the hub for that intelligence.

The pact will effectively link bilateral information-sharing agreements that already exist between the countries.

A spokesman for South Korea's Defense Ministry said the countries won't have to divulge all of their related classified information under the new pact. Each will determine what access is granted.

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More News On US, Japan, S. Korea Signing The North Korean Intel Pact

No Smiles as Intelligence-Sharing Pact Begins -- WSJ
Japan, S. Korea, U.S. now sharing intelligence on N. Korea -- Japan Times
Japan and South Korea Pledge to Share Intelligence on North via US -- New York Times
US, Japan, South Korea to share info on North Korea -- The Hill
Intelligence-sharing pact between Seoul, Washington, Tokyo enters into force -- ITAR-TASS
3-way intelligence sharing pact takes effect -- Korea Times

My Comment: What a strange relationship .... South Korea will not share intel with Japan on North Korea .... but will share it with the U.S..

U.S., South Korea And Japan Have Agreed To Pool Their Intelligence Against North Korea

US, Japan, S. Korea to Share Intel On N. Korea -- Voice of America

South Korean officials say Seoul, the U.S. and Japan have agreed on a trilateral intelligence-sharing pact to deal with North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.

Officials said on Friday that the deal would enable the three allies to quickly respond to any North Korean provocation at a time of increasing tensions with Pyongyang. It would apply to intelligence sharing only on the North's missile and nuclear progress.

South Korean officials say the formal signing of the pact by the South Korean vice defense minister and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts will take place on Monday.

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More News On The U.S., South Korea and Japan Agreeing To Pool Their Intelligence Against North Korea

US, allies agree trilateral accord on North Korea intelligence -- AFP
US, Japan and South Korea to share intelligence on North Korea -- Financial Times
US agrees trilateral intelligence-sharing pact with South Korea and Japan -- Deutsche Welle
South Korea to sign pact with US, Japan to share intelligence -- AP
S Korea, Japan, US to sign intelligence-sharing pact -- Channel News Asia
US, South Korea, Japan Agree to Share Data on North Korean Nuclear Weapons -- Sputnik
US, Japan and S.Korea to share intel on N. Korea -- RT
US, Japan And South Korea To Share Intelligence To Deal With North Korea’s Nuclear, Missile Threats -- IBTimes
S. Korea, U.S., Japan to sign info-sharing pact on N.K. nukes -- Yonhap News Agency
Japan says close to deal with South Korea and U.S. on North Korea defense -- Reuters
South Korea and Japan to Sign Intel-Sharing Deal on North Korea -- Bloomberg
Japan 'close' to deal with South Korea and US on North Korea defence -- The Age
U.S., South Korea and Japan to Pool Intelligence Against North Korea -- Newsweek

Update: China is suspicious .... China wary over S. Korea-US-Japan pact on N.K. intel (Yonhap News Agency).

Will The U.S. Defend Japan?

Image Credit: Official U.S. Navy Page via Flickr.com

Will The U.S. Defend Japan? More Of A Definite Maybe -- Paul Sracic, The Diplomat

Recent history ought to teach us the dangers of assuming a ‘slam dunk.’

The late New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once famously observed, “[P]olitics is an argument about the future, and no one knows that future.” Despite this warning, in recent weeks Jun Okumura and I have both tried our hand at predicting a future that neither of us can be confident in knowing. Still, the gravity of the event that we are both speculating about – the landing of Chinese troops on the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands and the concomitant reaction of the U.S. government – is such that it needs to be discussed and debated. That is why I am grateful for Mr. Okumura’s thoughtful response to my article. Although he no longer works for the Japanese government, those in leadership positions in Japan likely share Mr. Okumura’s understandings. Therefore, if I am right and Mr. Okumura is wrong, then perhaps the Japanese government’s actions are being guided by a false and therefore dangerous impression.

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My Comment: Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand .... these four countries are America's critical allies in Asia. Taiwan are the Philippines are also important .... but less so. If the U.S. does not come to the defense of Japan in the event of hostilities .... each and everyone of these countries will then evaluate and change their strategic relationship with the U.S. ... and in the end they will acquiesce to a China dominated Asia.

But as to the question .... "Will the U.S. Defend Japan"? My answer is yes ... because the alternative is incomprehensible.

President Obama And Sushi Diplomacy

Obama's Japan Visit Kicks Off With Dreams Of Sushi -- Christian Science Monitor

Before tackling weightier matters, Obama and Prime Minister Abe dined at a 10-seat restaurant where the world's top sushi chef decides the menu – and you don't want to know the cost.

Tokyo’s sushi restaurants have been the setting for countless business deals. But for two special guests at Sukiyabashi Jiro on Wednesday evening, mouthfuls of melt-in-the-mouth tuna, squid, and octopus were the culinary backdrop to discussing urgent matters of regional security.

Soon after Air Force One touched down here, Barack Obama found himself in Tokyo’s upmarket Ginza district, tucked behind the counter of arguably the world’s best sushi restaurant with his Japanese host, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Sukiyabashi Jiro’s modest size – it has just 10 seats – is inversely proportionate to its reputation.

Most Japanese, even those flush enough not to break into a cold sweat when presented with the bill, can only dream of eating there. The 19-piece special course, featuring a selection chosen by owner Jiro Ono, costs around $300, not including drinks.

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Update: Obama Is Eating At The Legendary 'Jiro Dreams Of Sushi' Restaurant -- Business Insider

My Comment: OMG! I ate at this restaurant four years ago. My Japanese host and friend brought us there for dinner  .... and I had no idea on what I was going to experience. I remember it being a very small restaurant, and I had the 19-piece special course .... and each piece was fantastic. The sauce .... the rice .... the taste .... the saki .... the atmosphere .... everything was perfect. It was only later .... when I got back home .... that I learned how lucky I was.

U.S. To Send 2 More Aegis Warships To Japan To Defend Against North Korean Threats And Possible Chinese Aggression

U.S. To Send 2 More Missile Defense Ships To Japan To Protect From North Korea -- CNN

(CNN) -- The United States will send more missile defense ships to Japan, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Sunday, as part of an effort to bolster protection from North Korean missile threats.

North Korea has carried out a series of missile launches in recent weeks and has warned it was preparing to test another nuclear device, prompting fresh criticism from the United States.

Speaking during a visit to Tokyo, Hagel announced that two Navy destroyers equipped with missile defense systems would be deployed to Japan by 2017.

"A key focus for our talks today was the threat posed by North Korea," Hagel told reporters after he met with Japan's defense and foreign ministers.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Sending 2 More Missile Defense Ships To Japan

US to deploy destroyers to counter North Korean threat -- Christian Science Monitor/AP
U.S. to Send Two More Destroyers to Japan by 2017 -- WSJ
US sends two warships to Japan to counter growing military aggression by China and after North Korea's missile launches -- Daily Mail
US to send two more warships to Japan by 2017 -- BBC
U.S. To Send 2 More Aegis Ships To Japan To Counter North Korean Provocations -- RTT News
U.S. to deploy more destroyers around Japan to deal with North Korean threats -- Global Post/EFE
US to boost naval presence in Asia-Pacific, citing N. Korea threat -- RT
Japan, U.S. to increase cooperation on N. Korea provocations -- Asahi Shimbun