Professor Christopher Hughes, expert in International Politics and Japanese Studies at Warwick, comments on Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe's visit to the White House on 7th of June ahead of expected US-North Korea summit and G7 summit:

"Japan is concerned that the US is a potentially rather erratic alliance partner that may move ahead with improving ties with North Korea to the possible detriment of Japan’s national interests. The cancellation of the summit last week was something of a quiet relief to Japan which was worried the US and North Korea might cut a quick fire deal that ignored Japan’s demands for a resolution of the abductions issue and perhaps bestow international legitimacy on the North and maybe even leave intact for some time its nuclear programme.

"Now the summit is suddenly back on, Japan is trying to get back into the diplomatic game and get some leverage on the US. Hence, the desire to see Trump before any summit to try and influence him to take Japan’s interests into consideration. How far Trump will do that is hard to estimate given recent patterns of unpredictable behaviour. But at least the US is showing an awareness of Japanese interests by the invitation to DC".

1 June 2018

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Maki Nakamatsu

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