It's fascinating to read various pundits (mostly right-wing conservatives) spin a most unconvincing argument how U.S. President Donald Trump didn't really fail in Hanoi. And yet the facts are indisputable.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un got Trump to give him his desired world stage, excuse North Korea's human rights violations, contradict America's intelligence and security communities, enable Kim's propaganda efforts and brazenly and horrifically lie about Otto Warmbier.
Meanwhile, "deal maker" Trump again got nothing.
It's well worth remembering that Trump destroyed the Iran nuclear deal which ensured real and verified steps to decommission reactors, limit centrifuges and guarantee inspections.
And, of course, he continues to be a cheerleader for a North Korean regime that provides no such commitment and has shown him to be a fool.
Trump spent a decade accusing U.S. President Barack Obama of "palling around with terrorists" while he is not just palling around with a murderous dictator but providing a world stage for his lies and propaganda.
And now we learn that the North is working on rebuilding one of its rocket sites. Can the Trump people please step forward and explain how this is another win? Can they explain how Japan, with "friends" like a Trump-led United States, needs enemies?
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.