Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 6 February 2017
New Pentagon chief an instant hit in Japan, South Korea

hours after President Don- trol in 1972 based on an
ald Trump’s swearing in agreement signed a year
on Jan. 20. But some had earlier to end the postwar
questioned the wisdom of period of U.S. military con-
breaking a long American trol.
tradition of picking defense “So I believe that you are
secretaries with primarily ci- quite familiar with the situ-
vilian backgrounds. ation surrounding Japan,”
In fact it has been more he said.
than a tradition. There is In Seoul, where civilian
a legal prohibition on ap- control of the military has
pointing a defense sec- a mixed history, Mattis’s
retary who has not been counterpart, Han Min Koo,
out of uniform for at least portrayed him as a kindred
seven years. Mattis retired spirit. Han told reporters he
from a 41-year career in knew why they were able
the Marine Corps in 2013. to forge a bond in their
The Congress had to pass very first meeting.
a bill making a one-time “I believe this was possible
exception for Mattis, who because we both served
was widely praised as a
thoughtful, level-headed as active-duty servicemen
leader. for 40-plus years,” Han said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, right, is escorted to inspect an honor guard at Defense Ministry The only other time in his- Mattis was not shy, either,
in Tokyo, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017. In his debut abroad as the first retired general to lead the Penta- about highlighting his mili-
gon in more than half a century, Jim Mattis found that in Japan and South Korea his experience tory that such an excep- tary background. In Tokyo
in uniform is seen as an asset. tion was made was for
(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) George C. Marshall, the he recalled training in Oki-
former Army chief of staff nawa and elsewhere in Ja-
ROBERT BURNS Not everyone who knows and international news re- who had served as secre- pan as a newly minted lieu-
AP National Security Writer Mattis well in the U.S. shares porters and cameras. tary of state before Presi- tenant in 1972. He said he
TOKYO (AP) — In his debut that view, but he clearly “I was very encouraged,” dent Harry Truman picked made Japanese acquain-
abroad as the first retired was an instant hit in north- Abe said, “to see someone him as defense secretary in tances that have lasted a
general to lead the Pen- east Asia. like you who has substan- September 1950, at a cru- lifetime.
tagon in more than half a Japanese Prime Minister tial experience, both in the cial point in the just-started Asia is hardly Mattis’s forte,
century, Jim Mattis found Shinzo Abe was effusive in military and in security, de- Korean War. however. He spent the bulk
that in Japan and South his endorsement as the two fense and diplomacy, tak- Abe noted that Mattis’s mil- of his career focused on
Korea his experience in uni- shook hands Friday before ing this office.” itary career included a stint the Middle East, including
form is seen as an asset. a phalanx of Japanese Mattis won easy confirma- on Okinawa, which the U.S. combat tours in Iraq and
tion by the U.S. Senate just returned to Japanese con- Afghanistan. q
China criticizes Mattis’ remarks on East China Sea

CHRISTOPHER BODEEN “We urge the U.S. side to patch ships and planes to
Associated Press take a responsible attitude, the area around them as
BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. is stop making wrong remarks a challenge to Japanese
putting regional stability in on the issue involving the control.
East Asia at risk, a Chinese Diaoyu islands’ sovereignty, China also registered its
spokesman said, following and avoid making the is- displeasure with Mattis’ re-
remarks by President Don- sue more complicated and marks Friday in South Korea
ald Trump’s defense sec- bringing instability to the re- that Trump’s administra-
retary that a U.S. commit- gional situation,” Lu said. tion is committed to car-
ment to defend Japanese On his first trip to Asia as rying through on a deal
territory applies to an island secretary of defense, Mat- the Obama administration
group that China claims. tis explicitly stated in Tokyo reached with the Seoul
Chinese Foreign Ministry that the Trump administra- government last year to
spokesman Lu Kang on tion will stick to the previous deploy a high-end U.S. mis-
Saturday called on the U.S. U.S. stance that the U.S.-Ja- sile defense system to South
to avoid discussion of the pan security treaty applies Korea this year.
issue and reasserted Chi- to defending Japan’s con- The Terminal High-Altitude
na’s claim of sovereignty tinued administration of the Area Defense, or THAAD, is
over the tiny uninhabited Senkaku islands. meant to improve protec-
islands, known in Japanese The islands that lie between tion of South Korea and Ja-
as the Senkaku and Chi- Taiwan and Okinawa were pan — as well as U.S. troops
nese as Diaoyu. under U.S. administration stationed in both countries
The 1960 U.S.-Japan treaty from the end of World War II — against a North Korean
is “a product of the Cold until their return to Japan in missile attack.
War, which should not im- 1972. China cites historical Beijing objects to the sys-
pair China’s territorial sov- records for its claim, and tem because its power-
ereignty and legitimate Japan’s move to national- ful radar would allow it to
rights,” Lu was quoted as ize several of the islands in peer deep into northeast-
saying in a statement post- 2012 set off anti-Japanese ern China, possibly allow-
ed on the ministry’s web- riots in China and prompt- ing it to observe Chinese
site. ed the government to dis- military movements.q