Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. The pair were expected, among other things, to discuss their steps in dealing with North Korea.
In his week-long trip to several Asian countries, Shanahan’s talks have been dominated by China, increasing tensions with Iran, and stalled talks with North Korea.
In May, North Korea test-fired several rockets and missiles, including guided missiles that experts said could be used to penetrate South Korean, Japanese and U.S. defenses.
During a recent trip to Japan, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism over prospects that North Korea would give up its nuclear program, and repeated that he was not bothered by the missile tests, which he indicated he did not believe flouted United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Shanahan previously appeared to agree with National Security Adviser John Bolton, saying that the recent short-range North Korean missile tests did violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.
