Trump, Japan’s Abe at odds over North Korean missile tests

President Donald Trump stood firm on his positive assessment of North Korea on Monday, saying he wasn’t “personally bothered” by the recent North Korean missile tests violated a U.N. Security Council resolution.

Trump however differed from his counterpart Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the views on regime’s recent short-range missile tests.

Asked if he was bothered by the missile tests, Trump said: “No, I’m not. I am personally not.”

Trump clearly stated that he did not believe the short-range launches violated United Nations resolutions — the view held by Japan.

“My people think it could have been a violation,” Trump said. “I view it differently. I view it as a man — perhaps he wants to get attention and perhaps not. Who knows?”

By “his people,” Trump was referring to his national security adviser John Bolton, who told reporters in a briefing over the weekend that the missile tests did violate UN resolutions.

Trump at the news conference, told the world that he however agreed with the North Korean leader’s assessment of Biden and declared himself “not a fan.”

“Kim Jong Un made a statement that Joe Biden is a low-IQ individual,” Trump said. “He probably is based on his record. I think I agree with him on that.”

Trump has lately maintained a bullish stance on reorienting the US trade relationship with Japan, insisting the $68 billion trade deficit be reduced. He’s ignored Abe’s pleas to remove tariffs on steel and aluminum, though he did delay new auto tariffs for six months while a deal is worked out.

Trump has said that real work on a new trade agreement would not begin until after Japanese parliamentary elections in July, and added Monday that an announcement would likely be made in August.