Trump tweets that America will allow the sale of 'highly sophisticated military equipment' to South Korea and Japan

President Trump tweeted Tuesday that he is allowing Japan and South Korea "to buy a substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipment from the United States." The decision follows North Korea's test over the weekend of what appeared to be a hydrogen bomb.

Bradley P. Moss, who specializes in national security law, tweeted in response to Trump that "these deals took years to negotiate and plan out. And they've been ongoing for decades."

Last March, Trump indicated that he was interested in supporting Japan and South Korea's development of nuclear weapons. "At some point we have to say, you know what? We're better off if Japan protects itself against this maniac in North Korea," Trump told Anderson Cooper at a CNN town hall. "We're better off, frankly, if South Korea is going to start to protect itself."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up