US President Donald Trump visits Japan
Baku, November 5, AZERTAC
President Donald Trump has begun his tour of Asia with a warning that "no dictator" should underestimate America, in a thinly veiled reference to the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.
According to the Guardian, "No one, no dictator, no regime … should underestimate American resolve," Trump told cheering servicemen and women after he landed at Yokota air base near Tokyo on Sunday on the first leg of his five-nation trip.
In what many believe is a low-risk start to a 12-day visit that will include stops in South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, Trump praised US servicemen and women and their counterparts from Japan, a "treasured partner and crucial ally".
In another remark apparently directed at Pyongyang, Trump said US forces "always, always win. This is the heritage of the US armed forces, the greatest force for freedom and justice that the world has ever known."
Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is expected to seek assurances from Trump of Washington's watertight commitment to security in a volatile Asia-Pacific region.
Trump said the US-Japan alliance had been the cornerstone of regional security for the past six decades, adding: "We dominate the sky, we dominate the sea, we dominate the land and space."
In what appeared to be a break with his prepared script, Trump promised the assembled troops that they would be receiving "a lot more" defence equipment. "No one makes it like they make it in the US. A lot of stuff is coming - use it well."
After addressing troops, Trump travelled by helicopter to a private golf course north of Tokyo for an informal lunch with Abe, followed by nine holes with world number four Hideki Matsuyama.
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