Trump’s Tough Talk on North Korea Puts Japan’s Leader in Delicate Spot<br />Japan is already moving to strengthen its antimissile defenses, and officials are debating whether to acquire weapons like long-range cruise missiles<br />that would allow the country to strike targets in North Korea, either in retaliation or pre-emptively if it concluded that an attack by the North was imminent.<br />Mr. Abe, analysts say, has sought favor with Mr. Trump for two reasons: to blunt the president’s criticism of Japan on trade issues — a recurring theme for Mr. Trump during his run for office —<br />and to ensure the president’s commitment to Japan’s defense.<br />The missiles, it said, would fly over western Japan — reviving memories of a North Korean missile<br />that flew over northern Japan in 1998, causing a national uproar.<br />Tobias Harris said that If it looks like the U.S. set off the chain of events<br />that led to escalation, and Abe didn’t use his relationship with Trump to moderate that, it’s easy to imagine that there would be a domestic price to pay,<br />For that reason, support for military action against the North is low in both South Korea and Japan — a fact<br />that Mr. Trump’s statements are hardly helping to change.<br />The North’s accelerating military advances — and Mr. Trump’s volatile response — could complicate<br />Japan’s close alliance with the United States and Mr. Abe’s political future.
