U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday talked up what he called the unprecedented strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance, and emphasized his nation's resolve to "peacefully dismantle" North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
Speaking to American troops stationed at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, Pence echoed an earlier message from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the Japan-U.S. bond has "never been stronger than it is today." The two allies, Pence said, are bound together by their "time-honored alliance" and "unshakable commitment to freedom."
Sandwiched between two F-35 fighter jets in a packed hangar, Pence sought to lift the spirit of military personnel as they face the persistent nuclear threat from North Korea. He had stopped in Japan ahead of attending the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea on Friday.