TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday that his government fully supports the U.S. stance on pressuring North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, with all options on the table. In a televised debate Sunday among leaders of major political parties, Abe said North Korea had failed to deliver on past promises to give up its pursuit of nuclear technology made during “six-party” talks with Japan, China, the U.S., Russia and South Korea. “They used the framework of the dialogue to earn time so that they could develop their nuclear technology,” Abe said. “As the result, their nuclear capability has reached to this level and we cannot afford being deceived by them again.”Abe did not specifically comment on a tweet during the weekend about North Korea by U.S. President Donald Trump. Concerns over North Korea are a top issue in a Japanese parliamentary election scheduled for Oct. 22.

Source: National Post October 08, 2017 07:03 UTC