Japan’s PM vows stronger US ties, says 'Japan's back'

                
Japan's new prime minister says he will make his country a stronger U.S. ally and joined President Barack Obama in warning North Korea that its recent nuclear provocations would not be tolerated.           

 After meeting Obama in the Oval Office on Friday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also sent a clear message to China: that while Japan does not want confrontation with Beijing, it won't tolerate challenges to its sovereignty over islands disputed by the two Asian powers.               

Those regional tensions served as the backdrop for Friday's meetings, which came just two months after Abe began his second stint as Japan's prime minister following a convincing election victory.             

Obama said he and Abe were united in their "determination to take strong actions" in response to North Korea's nuclear test this month, which followed a successful long-range rocket launch last month. That has propelled the isolated, authoritarian state closer to having a weapon of mass destruction that could threaten the U.S.           

Abe said he and Obama have agreed to push for tougher sanctions by the U.N. Security Council and spelled out why Pyongyang's actions are cause for worry.          

Most experts believe North Korea is still some years away from being able to hit America, although its shorter-range missiles could already threaten its neighbors.           

Obama did not address the dispute in his brief remarks, but separately, Secretary of State John Kerry complimented Japan on the restraint it has shown and its efforts to prevent a "significant confrontation."


REUTERS