[…]
In an interview with the New York Times, Mr Trump said that allowing Japan and South Korea to develop a nuclear arsenal would reduce pressure on the US to come to their defence every time North Korea acted belligerently. Washington could not continue to respond to requests for help whenever Pyongyang “raises its head”, he warned.
High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c927017c-f398-11e5-9afe-dd2472ea263d.html#ixzz44ALifDh6Many experts worry that Japan and South Korea developing atomic weapons would spark a nuclear arms race in east Asia that would be very dangerous, particularly given the tensions between Beijing and Tokyo. But Mr Trump said the US “cannot be the policeman of the world” and suggested Tokyo and Seoul would move in that direction anyway if the US continued along what he described as a path of “weakness”.
“Would I rather have North Korea have them [nuclear weapons] with Japan sitting there having them also? You may very well be better off if that’s the case,” Mr Trump said, before adding that “if Japan had that nuclear threat, I’m not sure that would be a bad thing for us”.[…]
High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c927017c-f398-11e5-9afe-dd2472ea263d.html#ixzz44ALnEkZtThe Japanese government did not immediately react to the comments from Mr Trump. But Ichiro Matsui, the Osaka governor, said Japan should be ready in case Mr Trump was elected president.
“Japanese politicians should prepare for the possibility of Mr Trump becoming president. Politicians have a duty to prepare for all possible scenarios.”[…]
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