Trump sent powerful message by standing with Abe: WH

President Donald Trump standing shoulder to shoulder with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was a "powerful" message to the world that the US will stand with its allies in the Pacific region to address the "North Korean menace," the White House said today.
"Last night, what you saw was the president of the United States sending a powerful and unmistakable signal to North Korea and the entire world as he stood shoulder to shoulder with the prime minister of Japan and declared our steadfast and unwavering support of the alliance. The meaning of that will be lost on no one," said White House Senior Policy Advisor Stephen Miller told Fox News.

"The message we're sending to the world right now is a message of strength and solidarity. We stand with Japan and we stand with our allies in the region to address the North Korean menace," Miller said.
His remarks came after Abe denounced the North Korea's missile launch - the first after Trump became the President - at a hastily organised joint briefing at Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
"The message is that we are going to reinforce and strengthen our vital alliances in the Pacific region as part of our strategy to deter and prevent the increasing hostility that we have seen in recent years from the North Korean regime," he said in response to a question.

"More broadly, we are inheriting a situation around the world today that is deeply troubling. The situation in North Korea, the situation in Iraq, the situation in Syria, the situation in Yemen, and this president is committed to a fundamental rebuilding of the armed forces of the United States that will again send a signal to the world that America's strength will not be tested," Miller said.

He said the important point was that the US was inheriting a situation around the world that is as challenging as "any we have ever seen in our lives."
"That's why President Trump is displaying the strength of America to the whole world and it's why we're going to begin a process of rebuilding our depleted defense capabilities on a scale we have not seen in generations," Miller told ABC News.

Trump had termed Japan as a "great ally" after his meeting with Abe.
"I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, it's great ally, 100 per cent," Trump said.
"North Korea's most recent missile launch is absolutely intolerable. North Korea must fully comply with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions," Abe said.