6 November 2017 11:21 am
US President Donald Trump arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, kicking off his first presidential trip to Asia with the North Korean nuclear crisis and trade expected to be high on the agenda.
Air Force One touched down at Yokota Air Base after an eight-hour flight
from Hawaii.
On Monday, Trump will hold talks with Abe after he and his wife meet Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace.
Trump questioned Tokyo’s decision not to shoot down North Korean missiles when he met or spoke by phone with leaders from South-East Asian countries in recent months to discuss how to deal with the reclusive state’s nuclear and missile threats, the Kyodo News agency reported just before his arrival in Japan, citing unnamed diplomatic sources.
The president said he could not understand why a country of samurai warriors did not shoot down the missiles, the report said.
Trump also said he is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during his tour in Asia. “We want Putin’s help” to deal with Pyongyang, the president said.
“Our big focus is going to be obviously on North Korea,” Trump told reporters on Air Force Once. “But a very, very big focus is going to be on fair trade. And that’s very important to me.”
In Tokyo, about 21,000 police officers have been mobilized to ensure security in and around the capital during Trump’s visit, the National Police Agency said.
Tokyo (dpa), Nov 5, 2017