N’KOREA NUCLEAR THREAT: US, JAPAN STEP UP DEFENCE COOPERATION

N’KOREA NUCLEAR THREAT: US, JAPAN STEP UP DEFENCE COOPERATION

As tensions in East Asia remain high over North Korea’s nuclear threat, the United States and Japan have both stepped up defence cooperation as the two allies move to strengthen their partnership.

“For this threat of North Korea, at this meeting we agreed to increase the pressure and to strengthen the alliance capability,” Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said after talks with senior U.S. officials in Washington.

There are fears by both US and Japan that the nuclear activities of North Korea has been on the increase after President Kim Jong Un threatened to strike the U.S. territory of Guam but later halted the action.

Only yesterday (Thursday) President Donald Trump described North Korea’s decision to delay any military action against the U.S. territory of Guam as a “very wise and well reasoned decision”.

North Korea said it is holding fire on Guam but is watching the action of the US before deciding to hit the American territory with missiles.

Kim says his army has finalised plans to launch four missiles into the waters near the US Pacific territory of Guam, but are waiting for his order to strike.