North Korea threat is 'critical, imminent,' Japan tells U.S., South Korea

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

#WORLD NEWS OCTOBER 23, 2017 / 6:33 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

North Korea threat is 'critical, imminent,' Japan tells U.S., South Korea

Phil Stewart
5 MIN READ

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, Philippines (Reuters) - The threat from North Korea has grown to a “critical and imminent level” and the United States, Japan and South Korea must address the matter, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told his U.S. and South Korean counterparts in talks on Monday.

Onodera’s remarks underscored the deep concern in Tokyo after North Korean weapons tests, including test firing missiles over Japan, as Pyongyang seeks to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States.

His comments broke from more measured language on Monday by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-Moo, as the three men met on the sidelines of a gathering of Asian defense chiefs in the Philippines.

“(The) threat posed by North Korea has grown to the unprecedented, critical and imminent level. Therefore, we have to take calibrated and different responses to meet with that level of threat,” he said, speaking through a translator, at the start of talks in the Philippines.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-mattis-japan/north-korea-threat-is-critical-imminent-japan-tells-u-s-south-korea-idUSKBN1CS18K