President Trump has reportedly said Japan should have shot down missiles North Korea tested over the country earlier this year, sources told The Japan Times ahead of the president’s visit.
Diplomatic sources told the outlet that Trump made the comment during conversations with leaders of Southeast Asian countries while discussing the threat of North Korea’s advancing nuclear weapons program.
North Korea in both August and September launched a ballistic missile over Japan that landed in the Pacific Ocean.
The Japan Times reported that Trump said he could not understand why a country of samurai warriors would not shoot down the missile.
While Trump has not made similar comments in the past, he has said that “talking is not the answer” to solving problems regarding North Korea and that force by the nation would be met with “fire and fury.”
[contentcards url=”http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/358804-trump-wanted-japan-to-shoot-down-north-korean-missiles-earlier-this” target=”_blank”]