Trump arrives in Japan, first in Asian tour
President Donald Trump
touched down in Japan late Saturday ahead of a 13-day trek through Asia
that he hopes will divert from a bruising political controversy back
home.
During the
first set of remarks on his five-nation tour, Trump avoided the
incendiary, bellicose rhetoric that has often defined his public stance
about the North Korean threat.
But
he nevertheless sent a clear message to North Korea and the rest of the
region that American military might and strong US alliances in the
region remain a critical deterrent during an appearance at a joint
US-Japanese military base just outside of Tokyo.
"Our brave warriors are the last bulwark
against threats to the dreams of people in America and Japan and all
across the world," Trump said. "You are the greatest hope for people who
desire to live in freedom and harmony and you are the greatest threat
to tyrants and dictators who seek to prey on the innocent."
Trading
in his suit jacket for a flight jacket moments after taking the stage
at Yokota Air Base, Trump praised the US-Japan military alliance,
thanked US troops for keeping "us all safe" and talked up US military
prowess in the region.
The
remarks served to help set the tone for the President's Asian tour that
will take him next to South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines
for nearly two weeks of powerhouse diplomacy, much of which will focus
on rallying other regional powers to step up their efforts to pressure
North Korea into abandoning its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Trump's remarks were devoid the kinds of
direct threats he has previously aimed at the North Korean regime, with
the President instead choosing to focus on the US-Japanese alliance and
the peaceful aims of US military might in the region.
"You put hope in every soul that yearns for peace," Trump told the assembled troops.
Air
Force One landed at the US-controlled Yokota Air Base outside Tokyo at
about 9:37 p.m. ET Saturday (10:37 a.m. Sunday local time). Trump
addressed American servicemen and women stationed at the facility before
beginning his official visit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
On his first swing through a continent gripped with tension over a nuclear standoff on its eastern edge, Trump will carry out high-stakes talks with the leaders of Japan, South Korea, and China, and attend days of summits in Vietnam and the Philippines.
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