Week of July 31st - Current Events

Lies, Elaine, and Takaya Yamaguchi. “Abe, Trump Discuss N Korean Threat.” Japan Today, Japan Today, 31 July 2017 japantoday.com/category/politics/Abe-Trump-discuss-N-Korean-threat.

On July 31st, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Donald Trump to discuss what actions to take against North Korea. After North Korea tested its long-range missiles on July 28, many countries felt alarmed and threatened. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, previously stated that the UN is not putting enough pressure on North Korea, adding that Japan needs to do more to pressure the growing aggressor. While the two leaders agreed that action needs to be taken against North Korea, they did not specify what the action included. No potential military action against North Korea was discussed. Japan has emphasized that they believe China and Russia need to play larger roles in the North Korean dilemma. Trump argued that China has done “nothing” to help the US in the dilemma, while China has greatly benefitted from US trade. President Trump will be meeting with the South Korean President Moon Jae-in next to discuss the developing North Korean threat.

Reuter, Thomson. “A Maverick at Home, Taro Kono Set for Softer Diplomatic Approach Abroad.” Japan Today, Japan Today, 3 Aug. 1970, japantoday.com/category/politics/a-maverick-at-home-japan's-taro-kono-set-for-softer-diplomatic-approach-abroad.

Recently, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has picked Taro Kono as Japan’s new foreign minister. Taro Kono has deep connections with the United States, having connections to a variety of personnel throughout the country. As a fluent english speaker, one of Kono’s major tasks will be communicating with the US regarding the recent development of the North Korean threat. Kano and his family have had a long history of involvement in Japan’s government. His father, Yohei Kono, was a former chief cabinet secretary. Kono himself was first elected to parliament in 1996, and also served as head of the National Public Safety Commission in 2016. Taro Kono has pushed for a reduction of Japan’s nuclear arsenal throughout his involvement in the government. He has also criticized the government’s hesitance to open the doors for immigrant laborers. Despite these pushes, many experts believe his approach to international diplomacy will be similar to the previous foreign minister.