Trump says stands with Japan against DPRK menace

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US President Donald Trump on Monday said America stood with ally Japan against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "menace" and that Washington would work with Tokyo to sort out problems on trade between the world's biggest and third-largest economies.

Speaking after a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Trump repeated his mantra the "era of strategic patience" was over, and that the two countries were working to counter the "dangerous aggressions" of the DPRK.

Shinzo Abe, Japan's Prime Minister (R), speaks as US President Donald Trump looks on during a news conference at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, November 6, 2017. /Reuters Photo‍

Trump is on the second day of a 12-day Asian trip that is focusing on both trade and the DPRK's nuclear missile programs.

Abe told the same news conference that Japan backed Trump's stance that "all options" are on the table when it comes to the DPRK, saying the two countries were "100 percent" together on the issue.

Earlier, Trump vowed to push for a free and balanced trade partnership with Japan after decades of "massive trade deficits" but said relations with close ally Tokyo were "better than we have ever had."

Abe, at the start of a working lunch with Trump, offered his "heart-felt condolences" for the victims of a gunman who massacred at least 26 worshippers at a church in Texas.

US President Donald Trump and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hold a luncheon at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, November 6, 2017.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump, who earlier expressed grief for the victims, had no plans at this time to change the schedule for his 12-day Asian trip, which will also take him to Seoul, Beijing and Danang, Vietnam.

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Source(s): Reuters