Japan Frets Over ‘Nightmare Scenario’ as Trump Meets Kim Again
- Ally fears deal that lacks curbs on shorter-range missiles
- U.S., Japan interests could diverge as nuclear talks progress
US President Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12, 2018.
Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
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When U.S. President Donald Trump sits down to talk peace with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this month, one of America’s closest allies -- Japan -- will be looking on with apprehension.
Like the first time Trump met Kim in June, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has found himself on the outside peering in before their second summit set for Feb. 27-28 in Hanoi. The meeting brings both the promise of a less-dangerous North Korea and the potential peril of a weak deal that leaves Japan exposed to Kim’s weapons of mass destruction and does nothing to help ease Tokyo’s own hostility with Pyongyang.