The Third Abe cabinet governed Japan under the leadership of the prime minister, Shinzō Abe , from December 2014 to November 2017. The government was a coalition between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito (which had changed its name from "New Komeito" in the 2012–2014 term) and controlled both the upper and lower houses of the National Diet .
76-605: Following the 2017 general election , the Third Abe cabinet was dissolved on November 1, 2017, and it was replaced by the Fourth Abe cabinet . Following the snap "Abenomics Dissolution" and general election of 2014 , Abe was re-elected by the Diet and chose to retain all the ministers from his previous cabinet except the defense minister, Akinori Eto , who had been involved in a money scandal. Abe explained that he aimed to avoid
152-665: A "direct response to North Korea's intermediate range ballistic missile launch," referring to North Korea's IRBM launch on August 29. On September 3, at 3:31 am UTC , the United States Geological Survey reported that it had detected a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in North Korea near the Punggye-ri test site . Given the shallow depth of the quake and its proximity to North Korea's primary nuclear weapons testing facility, experts concluded that
228-581: A "super-powerful EMP attack ". On the same day, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis speaking on behalf of the White House, warned there would be "a massive military response" to any threat from North Korea against the United States, including Guam, or its allies. Early on September 4, South Korea conducted a ballistic missile exercise that involved the South's Hyunmoo ballistic missile and
304-462: A 1-in-4 or 1-in-5 chance, that's too high." An argument emerged in both South Korea and Japan about the nuclear option, driven by worry that the United States might hesitate to defend the countries if doing so might provoke a missile launched from the North at major U.S. cities. In South Korea, polls show that 60 percent of the population favors building nuclear weapons, and that nearly 70 percent want
380-612: A North Korean attack. On August 14, Ukraine 's Chairman of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksandr Turchynov denied that it had ever supplied defense technology to North Korea, responding to an article in the New York Times that said North Korea might have purchased rocket engines from Ukrainian factory Yuzhmash , who have also denied the report. On August 15, the North Korean leader said he
456-463: A big step in Pyongyang's quest to acquire a nuclear-tipped weapon capable of hitting the U.S. North Korea declared it was now "a full-fledged nuclear power that has been possessed of the most powerful inter-continental ballistic rocket capable of hitting any part of the world". USFK said in a statement dated July 4, 2017: " Eighth U.S. Army and Republic of Korea (ROK) military personnel conducted
532-410: A combined event exercising assets countering North Korea's destabilizing and unlawful actions on July 4." South Korea's Hyunmoo -2B and U.S. Army Tactical Missile System missiles were launched during the drill. On August 8, 2017, President Donald Trump warned that North Korean nuclear threats would "be met with fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which the world has never seen before," after
608-606: A fixed term of four years. Under the postwar constitution drafted in 1947, the interpretation of Article 7 states that the cabinet may instruct the Emperor to dissolve the House of Representatives before the end of term at will. Elections must be held within 40 days after dissolution. In June 2015, the Public Office Election Law was amended to lower the voting age from 20 to 18 years of age. As of June 2015,
684-424: A joint freeze (freeze-for-freeze) – of North's missile tests, and U.S. and South Korean military exercises; the next step would be starting talks. The joint initiative of Russia and China envisages the involved parties' commitment to "four nos": concerning regime change, regime collapse, accelerated reunification, and military deployment north of the thirty-eighth parallel. On September 6, Donald Trump, after
760-644: A major, major conflict with North Korea". On April 24, North Korea marked the 85th anniversary of the Korean People's Army by what was said to be "its largest ever military drill," conducted in Wonsan . The following day, it was reported that the United States and South Korea had begun installing key elements of the THAAD missile defense in South Korea's Seongju County . On July 4 North Korea conducted
836-515: A medium-range ballistic missile from its eastern port of Sinpo into the Sea of Japan on April 5, which came a month after four ballistic missiles were fired towards the Sea of Japan, tensions increased as U.S. president Donald Trump had said the U.S. was prepared to act alone to deal with the nuclear threat from North Korea. On April 9, the U.S. Navy announced it was sending a navy strike group headed by
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#1732797738434912-447: A meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-Moo whether diplomacy was off the table, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis stated that "We're never out of diplomatic solutions" and "We always look for more. We're never complacent." On August 31, the US flew a squadron of bombers, including two B-1Bs and four F-35s, and conducted bombing drills in what US Pacific Command described as
988-641: A missile which flew over Hokkaido , Japan . The missile reached an altitude of 550 km (340 mi) and flew a total distance of around 2,700 km (1,700 mi) before crashing into the Pacific. The missile was not shot down by the Japanese military. This was the third time, with two prior events in 1998 and 2009, that a North Korean missile had passed over Japanese territory. However, in both of those prior cases, North Korea had claimed that they were launching satellites. The missile prompted activation of
1064-520: A normal state." Within hours, North Korea responded by announcing that it was considering attacking U.S. military bases in the US territory of Guam . On August 10, 2017, North Korean Lt. Gen. Kim Rak-gyom responded to Trump's speech of "fire and fury," saying his words were "nonsense" and asserting that "reasonable dialogue" wasn't possible with Trump as president of the US. The North Korean governmental news agency KCNA reported that Kim Jong Un's military
1140-531: A possible nuclear conflict between the two nations. In addition, North Korea also threatened Australia twice with nuclear strikes throughout the year for their allegiance with the United States. International relations lecturer and former government strategist Van Jackson said in the book On the Brink: Trump, Kim, and the Threat of Nuclear War that it was the closest the world had come to nuclear war since
1216-407: A rare and harshly worded criticism of its chief ally, China, stating that "One must clearly understand that the D.P.R.K.'s line of access to nukes for the existence and development of the country can neither be changed nor shaken[...] And that the D.P.R.K. will never beg for the maintenance of friendship with China, risking its nuclear program which is as precious as its own life, no matter how valuable
1292-547: A regime, but would arm, supply, and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict". On September 20, U.S. president Donald Trump signed an executive order that further toughened U.S. sanctions against North Korea: the U.S. Treasury was thereby authorized to target firms and financial institutions conducting business with NK. Commenting on the executive order, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, "Foreign financial institutions are now on notice that going forward they can choose to do business with
1368-466: A senior North Korean diplomat at the country's UN mission, were making regular contact during this dispute, through a conduit of communication they called the New York channel . On August 11, Trump wrote on Twitter : "Military solutions are now fully in place,[ ]locked and loaded,[ ]should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!" Former U.S. Ambassador to
1444-546: A series of posts on Twitter which seemed to undermine Tillerson's efforts, claiming that Tillerson was "wasting his time" trying to negotiate with North Korea and that "we'll do what has to be done". Former CIA Director John O. Brennan , during a Q&A session at Fordham University on October 18, remarked that "I think the prospects of military conflict in the Korean peninsula are greater than they have been in several decades... I don't think it's likely or probable, but if it's
1520-635: A significantly watered-down version of the United States' request. In an interview on September 4, Liu Jieyi , China's ambassador to the United Nations, called for dialogue, saying that the issue needed to be resolved "peacefully". He said, "China will never allow chaos and war on the peninsula." President Vladimir Putin speaking to the Chinese press on September 5, 2017, described U.S. proposals for further sanctions on Pyongyang as "useless"; he said, "Ramping up military hysteria in such conditions
1596-667: A telephone conversation with China's Xi Jinping , said that the United States would not tolerate North Korea's provocations, although military action was not his "first choice". On September 10, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with BBC television: "The reckless behavior of North Korea is a global threat and requires a global response and that of course also includes NATO"; when asked whether an attack on
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#17327977384341672-584: A three-way contest as the CDP joined with the Japanese Communist Party and Social Democratic Party on a common platform opposing the constitutional revision. While Kibō no Tō fell short of expectation, the CDP surged in the polls in the last days before the elections and beat Kibō no Tō to emerge as the largest opposition party. Despite being disrupted by Typhoon Lan , the elections saw a slight increase in turnout rate of 53.68 percent but still
1748-567: A veterinary college campus in Imabari . One wedge issue between the two major coalitions is the scheduled consumption tax hike in October 2019. The LDP coalition advocates keeping the tax hike and using the funds for child care and education, while the Kibo coalition advocates freezing the tax hike. Nonetheless, Koike stated on 8 October that she was open to the option of a grand coalition with
1824-553: Is designed to detect and destroy intermediate - and medium -range ballistic missiles (not intercontinental ballistic missile). The deployment had faced strong oppositions from China , Russia , and North Korea. In late April 2017, it was reported that while THAAD had originally been scheduled to become operational by the end of 2017, this could occur sooner. According to U.S. Forces Korea's announcement, THAAD stationed in South Korea had reached initial operating capability (IOC) on May 1, 2017. Following North Korea's test-firing of
1900-461: Is senseless; it's a dead end." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has likened the war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to a kindergarten fight between two children, saying "Together with China we'll continue to strive for a reasonable approach and not an emotional one like when children in a kindergarten start fighting and no-one can stop them." A plan proposed by both China and Russia calls for
1976-636: The Cuban Missile Crisis . Tensions began to decline in 2018, with North Korea announcing the restoration of the Seoul–Pyongyang hotline and agreeing to hold talks with South Korea about participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang . Diplomatic activity flourished during the next few months, with the suspension of nuclear and missile tests by North Korea, and the 2018 inter-Korean summit in late April which culminated in
2052-612: The House of Representatives , the lower house of the then 707-member bicameral National Diet of Japan . Incumbent Prime Minister Shinzō Abe 's governing coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito party retained their seats in signs of what was perceived as weak opposition. Abe won his fourth term in office and held on to the two-thirds supermajority in order to implement policies on revising
2128-609: The J-Alert warning system in Tohoku and Hokkaido, advising people to seek shelter. The launch was scheduled on the 107th anniversary of the Japan-Korea annexation treaty , and KCNA said that it was "a bold plan to make the cruel Japanese islanders insensible on bloody August 29." The missile launched was said to have followed a much flatter trajectory than those tested earlier in 2017. An emergency UN Security Council meeting
2204-519: The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on 30 June 2019, with Trump becoming the first sitting US president to visit North Korea. Follow-up talks later in 2019, however, broke down within hours. In his New Year's Day speech on January 2, 2017, Kim Jong Un , the leader of North Korea, said that the country was in the "last stage" of preparations to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). On May 3, North Korea issued
2280-859: The Moritomo Gakuen and Kake Gakuen scandals calling into question the propriety of the Abe government's decision making. After the election, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada resigned in connection with another scandal involving the Japan Self-Defense Forces concealing evidence of a battle in South Sudan . Meanwhile, the main national opposition Democratic Party was severely hurt by the resignation of its leader Renho in July, as well as several high-profile defections. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began publicly discussing
2356-671: The United Nations General Assembly , said that the United States: "if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man [Kim Jong-un] is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States are ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary." Also, without mentioning it by name, Donald Trump criticized China for maintaining relations with NK, calling it "an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such
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2432-494: The mass media reported that a US intelligence assessment had found that the country had successfully produced a miniaturised nuclear warhead capable of fitting inside its missiles. According to New York Times correspondent Michael S. Schmidt , Trump proposed using a nuclear weapon against North Korea and blaming the attack on another country, but was dissuaded by John F. Kelly . President Trump also remarked of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un: "He has been very threatening beyond
2508-545: The supercarrier USS Carl Vinson to the West Pacific ("to sail north and report on station in the Western Pacific Ocean after departing Singapore April 8"), but due to apparent miscommunication inside the U.S. administration, the naval move was presented as one towards the Korean peninsula. This information was backtracked by the U.S. government a few days later. The April 9 announcement by
2584-498: The "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history." (The ad hominem insults aside, no reference was made to the "hostile policy" of the United States, a staple of North Korean statements otherwise.) Foreign minister Ri Yong-ho likewise alluded to Trump as a barking dog, and furthermore remarked that North Korea might be considering the largest test of a hydrogen bomb ever in the Pacific Ocean, which would constitute
2660-455: The CDP in surpassing the Kibō no Tō in the number of seats and becoming the official opposition party was surprising. It presented a potential challenge for the ruling coalition to pass the constitutional amendment of Article 9, which was one of the main issues of the 2017 general election that was supported by Kibō no Tō leader Koike but opposed by the pacifist coalition. With a supermajority in both
2736-613: The F-15K fighter jets, which was billed to be in response to North's detonation. The state news agency Yonhap said the South's military had carried out a live-fire exercise simulating an attack on the North's nuclear site, hitting "designated targets in the East Sea ". On the same day, the UN Security Council convened to discuss further measures against North Korea; the leaked draft the relevant UNSC resolution prepared by
2812-742: The Indian Ocean. On April 24 the Japanese destroyers Ashigara and Samidare participated with Carl Vinson in tactical training drills near the Philippines ; North Korea threatened to sink her with a single strike. Carl Vinson had been in the South China Sea in 2015 and again in February 2017 on routine patrols. In late April 2017, Trump stated that "[t]here is a chance that we [the United States] could end up having
2888-640: The LDP. The LDP fielded 332 candidates, while Komeito fielded 53, Kibō no Tō fielded 235, and Nippon Ishin fielded 52. The Constitutional Democratic Party, Japanese Communist Party and Social Democratic Party joined forces to support a total number of 342 candidates on the common platform of opposing the revision the pacifist Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan and the new national security legislation . Several U.S.-Japan policy experts, including James Zumwalt and Michael Green , opined in October that
2964-563: The Navy led to a "glitch-ridden sequence of events". On April 17, North Korea's deputy United Nations ambassador accused the United States of turning the Korean peninsula into "the world's biggest hotspot" and the North Korean government stated "its readiness to declare war on the United States if North Korean forces were to be attacked." In reality on April 18, Carl Vinson and its escorts were 5,600 kilometres (3,500 mi) from Korea engaged in scheduled joint Royal Australian Navy exercises in
3040-574: The People , which subsequently largely merged into a refounded CDP, with the exception of a splinter group led by Yuichiro Tamaki . Koike became an independent, lightly cooperating with the LDP and her own regional party, Tomin First no Kai . A special Diet session was convened on 1 November to elect the next prime minister. Abe was re-elected with 312 and 151 votes in the House of Representatives and House of Councillors respectively. The new cabinet
3116-683: The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency in July 2017, which said that North Korea had successfully developed nuclear warheads for missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland (a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles). Since North Korea's first nuclear test in 2006, the UN Security Council had passed a number of resolutions that imposed various sanctions on the DPRK, including restrictions on economic activity. Nevertheless, North Korea's gross domestic product grew by an estimated 3.9 percent in 2016, to about $ 28.5 billion,
Third Abe Cabinet - Misplaced Pages Continue
3192-418: The U.S. Pacific territory of Guam would trigger NATO's Article 5, he said: "I will not speculate about whether Article 5 will be applied in such a situation." On September 14, North Korea issued a threat to "sink" Japan, and turn the US to "ashes and darkness". The statement drew strong condemnation from Yoshihide Suga , who described the speech as "extremely provocative and egregious". The next day, an IRBM
3268-461: The U.S. and North Korea were in "direct contact". "We have lines of communications to Pyongyang" he said, "We're not in a dark situation". He further stated that the U.S. was "probing" the possibility of direct talks. "So stay tuned". The Associated Press has claimed that a long-used back-channel has been re-opened in the past months, the 'New York Channel', facilitating communication between Washington and Pyongyang. The next day however, Trump made
3344-491: The U.S. was said to call for an oil embargo on North Korea, ban on the country's exports of textiles, on the hiring of North Korean workers abroad as well as personal sanctions against Kim Jong Un . Despite resistance from China and Russia, the United States on 8 September formally requested a vote of the United Nations Security Council on the U.S. resolution. UNSC 2375 passed on September 11 as
3420-549: The United Nations John Bolton and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta stated that the standoff between the U.S. and North Korea over Pyongyang 's nuclear weapons program was comparable to the Cuban Missile Crisis . Bob Woodward , in his 2020 book Rage , quoted Mike Pompeo as saying the national security team "never knew whether it was real, or whether it was a bluff", and reported that Jim Mattis slept fully dressed due to concerns about
3496-402: The United States or North Korea, but not both." On September 21, responding directly for the first time to President Trump's threat, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in his capacity of Chairman of State Affairs of DPRK called Trump a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard " ( Korean : 늙다리 미치광이 , romanized : Neukdari michigwangi , lit. 'Old man lunatic') and vowed
3572-570: The United States to reintroduce tactical nuclear weapons, which were withdrawn in 1991. In October, Hong Jun-pyo , one of the leading South Korean opposition figures, argued "only by deploying tactical nuclear weapons on South Korean territory can we negotiate with North Korea on an equal footing." Republican Senator John McCain urged that the U.S. should consider deploying nuclear weapons to South Korea. Former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger mentioned "If North Korea continues to have nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons must spread in
3648-513: The United States. Some U.S. officials blamed North Korea for his death. In July 2017, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson authorized a "Geographical Travel Restriction" which banned Americans from entering North Korea. Ostensibly to counter North Korea's missile threat, United States Forces Korea (USFK) had been planning deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea, which
3724-419: The White House said president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping had discussed North Korea's continued nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests and committed to "maximising pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement" of UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea; North Korea said the sanctions would accelerate its nuclear program. On September 19, Donald Trump, in his first address to
3800-472: The ban on North Korean coal was said to have slowed imports from the DPRK, was worth $ 456 million, up from $ 426 million in July 2016, the year-to-date trade being up 10.2 percent at $ 3.01 billion. In 2017, North Korea was sanctioned several times by the UN Security Council. According to the last set of sanctions of December 22, 2017, oil supplies to the DPRK are prohibited, and all countries have decided to expel North Korean labor migrants within 24 months from
3876-416: The country had conducted a sixth nuclear weapon test since the country first exploded a nuclear device in 2006. North Korea claimed that they had tested a hydrogen bomb capable of being mounted on an ICBM. The independent seismic monitoring agency NORSAR estimated that the blast had a yield of around 120 kilotons. An official KCNA statement of September 3, also claimed North Korea's ability to conduct
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#17327977384343952-511: The disruption of another major personnel change only three months after the September cabinet reshuffle . Abe conducted three reshuffles of his third administration. The first took place in October 2015 following his re-election to another three-year term as president of the LDP and the launch of his "Abenomics 2.0" policies. The second reshuffle occurred in August 2016, following the victory of
4028-500: The drills as "the most explicit expression of hostility against us." On August 25, North Korea fired three missiles from Kangwon Province in the southeastern part of the country. According to Cmdr. Dave Benham of US Pacific Command , one of the missiles exploded on launch while the other two suffered critical failures in flight, splashing down in the Sea of Japan after flying a distance of 250 kilometers (160 mi). On August 29, just before 6 am JST , North Korea launched
4104-424: The election was unlikely to have a major impact on policy as the LDP was expected to retain control; however, there was anxiety about the prospect of a leadership vacuum if Abe was eventually forced to resign as head of the LDP. Fewer than 20% of the 1,180 candidates that ran in the election were women . 9% of current elected figures are women, Japan ranks 165th out of 193 countries on this aspect. The success of
4180-785: The fastest pace in 17 years; the progress was largely attributed to continued trade with China, which accounted for more than 90% of North Korea's international trade. In late February 2017, following North Korea's February 12 test of the Pukkuksong-2 medium-range ballistic missile, China, which regards its trade with North Korea and the putative missile threat to the U.S. as separate issues, said it would comply with UN Resolution 2321 and halt all coal imports (North Korea's main export) from North Korea. The halt notwithstanding, in April 2017, China said that its trade with North Korea had expanded. In July 2017, China's trade with North Korea, while
4256-419: The first atmospheric nuclear test in the world since 1980 (last performed by China). On September 25, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho accused Trump of declaring war on his country, referring to Trump's recent tweet that North Korea "won't be around much longer." The White House responded that the United States has not declared war. On September 30, Rex Tillerson stated while on a trip to China, that
4332-401: The first publicly announced flight test of its ICBM Hwasong-14 , timed to coincide with the U.S. Independence Day celebrations. This flight had a claimed range of 933 kilometres (580 miles) eastwards into the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea) and reached an altitude of 2,802 kilometres (9,193,000 ft) during a 39-minute flight. The U.S. government experts classified the missile launch as
4408-417: The friendship is... China should no longer try to test the limits of the D.P.R.K.'s patience[...] China had better ponder over the grave consequences to be entailed by its reckless act of chopping down the pillar of the D.P.R.K.-China relations ." The harsh commentary also accused the Chinese media of dancing to the tune of the U.S. In early August 2017, The Washington Post reported an assessment, made by
4484-454: The hands of the ruling coalition in the election, in which the Abe government took almost two-thirds of the seats. In January 2017, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike established a new local party, Tomin First , to challenge the establishment Liberal Democratic Party in the Tokyo metropolitan election to be held in July. Tomin First won a resounding victory in the election, which came in the wake of
4560-608: The largest opposition party Democratic Party of Japan was reportedly preparing a roster of up to 250 candidates so as to be prepared in the event that the next general election was to be held alongside the House of Councillors election in the summer of 2016 , before it merged with the Japan Innovation Party to form the Democratic Party in March 2016. The Democratic Party suffered a considerable defeat at
4636-477: The popularity of Shinzo Abe, as the victory was also significantly influenced by the disconnect between the oppositions, notably the failure of Koike and the pacifist coalition to unite over many election issues. Nevertheless, the CDP finishing second led to Kibō no Tō dissolving in 2018 (with Shigefumi Matsuzawa reviving the party in a smaller capacity) and merging into the Democratic Party For
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#17327977384344712-577: The possibility of an election in mid-September 2017, as the North Korea crisis was ongoing. Continuing the momentum of her Tokyo election victory, Koike announced the formation of a new national political party, Kibō no Tō (Party of Hope), on 25 September. Abe called the general election just hours later on the same day. Soon after the Party of Hope was established, Democratic Party leader Seiji Maehara sought to merge with Kibō no Tō. Maehara's decision
4788-1265: The ruling coalition in the July 2016 upper house elections , the first time since 1989 that the LDP held an outright majority in the House of Councillors . The third reshuffle occurred in August 2017. Liberal Democratic Komeito R = Member of the House of Representatives C = Member of the House of Councillors N = Non- Diet member Pages at the Kantei (English website): 2017 Japanese general election Shinzō Abe LDP Shinzō Abe LDP Naruhito [REDACTED] Fumihito [REDACTED] Shigeru Ishiba ( LDP ) Second Ishiba Cabinet ( LDP – Komeito coalition ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Fukushiro Nukaga Kōichirō Genba [REDACTED] Masakazu Sekiguchi Hiroyuki Nagahama Saburo Tokura Kazuo Ueda General elections were held in Japan on 22 October 2017. Voting took place in all Representatives constituencies of Japan – 289 single-member districts and eleven proportional blocks – in order to appoint all 465 members (down from 475) of
4864-597: The signing of the Panmunjom Declaration on 27 April 2018. An unprecedented bilateral summit between Kim and Trump was held in Singapore on 12 June 2018. It resulted in a joint declaration calling for the "full denuclearization of the Korean peninsula". A second summit between Kim and Trump took place in Hanoi , Vietnam on 27–28 February 2019. Though talks there broke down, a third summit took place in
4940-457: The territories of the countries where they work. China has been opposed to secondary sanctions that may be imposed on Chinese firms that do business with North Korea. American university student Otto Warmbier was freed from North Korea in June 2017, while in a coma after nearly 18 months of captivity. Warmbier died without regaining consciousness on June 19, 2017, six days after his return to
5016-429: The upper and the lower house, the ruling coalition was expected to pass other legislation without much resistance. In a post-election conference, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe was optimistic about moving forward, stating that the victory was the first time the LDP have "won three consecutive victories" under the same party leader. The landslide victory achieved by the LDP campaign has been observed as not completely related to
5092-485: The war-renouncing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution . The snap elections were called in the midst of the North Korea missile threat and with the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party , in disarray. Just hours before Abe's announcement of the snap election on 25 September, Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike launched a new conservative reformist party Kibō no Tō , the Party of Hope, which
5168-496: Was called for later that day to discuss the event. In a statement issued by the White House in response to the launch, US President Donald Trump said that "All options are on the table" regarding North Korea. On August 30, President Trump issued a statement via Twitter saying "The U.S. has been talking to North Korea and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!" However, when asked by reporters at
5244-519: Was considering a plan to fire four ICBMs, type Hwasong-12 , into the Philippine Sea just 30–40 kilometers away from the island Guam. The flight time of missiles was estimated to be exactly 17 minutes and 45 seconds. A report by the KCNA suggested the plan would be put into operation in mid-August. U.S. officials stated that Joseph Y. Yun , the US envoy for North Korea policy , and Pak Song-il ,
5320-433: Was delaying a decision on firing missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam while he waits to see what Trump does next. From August 21–31, the U.S. and South Korea conducted the 2017 Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercise that was billed by U.S. Forces Korea as slightly smaller than the previous year's, with 17,500 U.S. troops participating; an editorial carried by North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper condemned
5396-435: Was developing at a faster rate than had been assessed by U.S. intelligence . Both countries started exchanging increasingly heated rhetoric, including nuclear threats and personal attacks between the two leaders, which, compounded by a joint U.S.–South Korea military exercise undertaken in August and North Korea's sixth nuclear test in September, raised international tensions in the region and beyond and stoked fears about
5472-557: Was fired from near Pyongyang and flew over Hokkaido, Japan before splashing down in the western Pacific about two thousand kilometers off Cape Erimo at about 7:16 am local time. The missile traveled 3,700 kilometers (2,300 mi) achieving a maximum apogee of 770 kilometres (480 mi) during its 19-minute flight. It was the furthest any North Korean IRBM missile has gone above and beyond Japan. On September 18, North Korea announced that any further sanctions would only cause acceleration of their nuclear program. On September 18,
5548-620: Was formed later on the day. 2017 North Korea crisis [REDACTED] South Korea [REDACTED] Moon Jae-in The 2017–2018 North Korea crisis was a period of heightened tension between North Korea and the United States throughout 2017. The crisis began early in 2017 when North Korea conducted a series of missile and nuclear tests that demonstrated the country's ability to launch ballistic missiles beyond its immediate region, suggesting their nuclear weapons capability
5624-552: Was seen as a viable alternative to the ruling coalition. It soon led to the dissolution of the Democratic Party and its party members defecting to the Kibō no Tō. However, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, whose members Koike refused to nominate, formed the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) led by Yukio Edano , splitting the opposition in half. The elections turned into
5700-418: Was strongly criticised by the liberal wing of the party, whose candidacies were rejected by Koike. The liberal wing surrounding the deputy president Yukio Edano announced the formation of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on 2 October 2017. Opposition politicians claim Abe called the election partly to evade further questioning in parliament over his alleged misuse of power in securing approval for
5776-493: Was the second lowest in postwar Japan. The lowest ever turnout was recorded in 2014 . They were also the first elections after the voting age was lowered from 20 to 18. Abe also became the first Prime Minister to win three consecutive general elections since 1953 and the first LDP leader to do so. He became the longest-serving Prime Minister in the history of the country in August 2020, but resigned shortly after achieving this due to health issues. The House of Representatives has
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