[Nobilo:] Welcome back to CNN Newsroom, the U.S. President has pressed his Japanese counterpart to even out the trade balance with the U.S. Donald Trump is on a four day trip to Japan. Earlier, he and Shinzo Abe said they discussed economic relations, regional stability and North Korean among other topics. This what Mr. Trump had to say after their talks?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The Prime Minister and I continue our close consultation in pursuit of peace and security on the Korean peninsula. The essence of our approach is peace through strength and this is a strong alliance indeed, the U.S.Japan alliance is steadfast and ironclad. We want peace and we want stability. We continue to hope that Chairman Kim seizes the opportunity to transform his country through denuclearization. It is a country with tremendous economic and other potential.
[Nobilo:] Mr. Trump also said he would work with Abe to bring home Japanese citizens who were kidnapped by North Korean agent's decades ago. U.S. leader met with the families of Japanese [inaudible], saying their stories were very sad. CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson joins me now from Tokyo. Ivan, President Trump was underscoring the fact that the bond between the U.S. and Japan is ironclad, but the way in which both leaders saw North Korea and recent actions from the peninsula was not entirely consistent.
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] No, there were divergences there, and in particular, it revolves around North Korea's missile launches that took place twice earlier this month most recently on May 9th when North Korea fired two short range ballistic missiles. The Japanese Prime Minister who's hosting this whole affair said that those were direct violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions. President Trump was asked about this, and he had a different opinion. Take a listen.
[Trump:] He is going to try at some point. I'm in no rush at all, the sanctions remain, we have our hostage's back, we as you know, are getting the remains, continuing to get the remains. A lot of good things are happening, and very importantly there's been no nuclear testing for two years. I looked at a chart the other day. During the past administration, there were many numbers that were very high, like 10, 12 and 18 having to do with missile launches and nuclear testing and for the last two years on the bottom it had zero and zero. So, I am very happy with the way it's going and intelligent people agree with me.
[Unidentified Female:] You're not bothered by the small missiles?
[Trump:] No, I'm not. I am personally not.
[Watson:] For his part, the Japanese Prime Minister credited President Trump for as he put it, cracking the shell of distrust around North Korea with what he described as President Trump's new approach. Shinzo Abe added that he would be willing to sit down face-to-face with Kim Jong-un without any preconditions to try to pursue this diplomatic initiative that President Trump has led. So, even though there are some differences and there are also differences on trade, for example, this has been a big show and a celebration of the strength of the U.S. Japanese alliance, which Abe described as a corner stone of stability and prosperity in the region. There are probably going to be some eyebrows raised on the other side of the pacific, Bianca, because at one point President Trump agreed with Kim Jong-un who his news agency denounced the former American Vice President Joe Biden and candidate for president in the 2020 elections as a low I.Q. individual and President Trump stood on that world stage and agreed with the North Korean dictator, calling a former American vice president a low I.Q. individual. He argued that Biden was not smart, because he had agreed to an Iran nuclear deal and President Trump said that deal was terrible, but he also almost in the same breath said that he did not want regime change in Iran, and he believed Iran would like a new deal with the U.S. even though President Trump somewhat recently ripped up the U.S. commitment with the preceding Iran nuclear deal, Bianca.
[Nobilo:] Thanks, Ivan. Ivan Watson there for us in Tokyo. Let's get more perspective on this now with Leslie Vinjamuri, he joins me on set. Leslie is head of the U.S. on America's Program Act. Thank you very much for being with us.
[Leslie Vinjamuri, Associate Professor In International Relations At The University Of London:] Thank you.
[Nobilo:] Ivan was just mentioning how Shinzo Abe was saying it is so important to celebrate this alliance between the U.S. and Japan. It's the corner stone of much diplomacy, but I'm curious to know what the significance is from both of their perspectives and what you think each leader is hoping to get out of it.
[Vinjamuri:] Well, it's tremendously important, as we know, for Japan to keep America fully engaged in Asia to make it crystal clear to China and to North Korea that the U.S.Japan alliance is at the heart of that, that America is committed to Japan's security, that it's committed to the subjective of a denuclearized North Korea, and that it's engaged on trade, and remember, Japan has been disappointed that the U.S. under Trump pulled out of the transpacific partnership, hasn't been able to pull it back in and ends very nervous about where that trading partnership is going. For Trump, of course, you know, Abe has been brilliant about courting this president and it's a very good relationship for Trump at the same time that he is, you know, attempting to play hardball on the trade front, but beholding back a bit, as, you know, Japan is facing elections in July. The other thing to notice is that of course the U.S. and Japan have a common position when it comes to China, when it comes to tech, when it comes to a number of trade issues, they sort of broadly share a commitment to taking a harder line. So, I think this relationship is, you know, the symbolism is important, America's role in Asia is important, not without some very significant issues, but this particular visit I think is plays very well for the American president who as we know is one that really cultivates and admires, enjoys the state visits.
[Nobilo:] In the press conference which the two leaders gave a few hours ago, President Trump mentioned Joe Biden, referred to him as a low I.Q. individual and differentiated his own and Joe Biden's policies. How unusual is it for an American president to be so open about divisions internally among political parties on a state visit like that. Obviously you'd expected to see, you know, in presidential debates and so forth, but to be in that situation and then to be criticizing one of the Democratic front runner's policy in the region, is that unusual?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, most things about this American president when it comes to diplomacy are quite unusual, I would say, but clearly the standard for an American president for any state leader when they leave their country is to sort of protect and to stay away from partisan politics when they are abroad, but you know, this is the play book this president has pursued is very different on this dimension, so taking a swipe at former Vice President Biden is not something unexpected, but it is unusual.
[Nobilo:] You were mentioning as well as some of the significant activities that have gone on when President Trump has been on this visit. Talk to us a bit about those.
[Vinjamuri:] I think, you know, the symbolism of the visit is tremendously important. I think, one question is, you know, where are we going on trade, how much are they discussing trade? There are also trade talks that are going to be going on between the U.S., between Europe and Japan at the same time, but remember, again, that President Trump is being careful, right. He wants to signal to the Japanese public to the leader, to the world that that commitment on security and trade is crystal clear and that it won't go away in advance of those elections. The optics are just tremendously important, but I think that we will see a much harder line taken after the G20 at the end of June and after the G7 when Trump comes back to pushing a harder trade agenda.
[Nobilo:] Leslie Vinjamuri, thank you so much for joining us.
[Vinjamuri:] Thank you.
[Nobilo:] Now, Britain's ruling conservative Party is hoping for revival under a new leader after suffering a dismal result in the E.U. elections. The party the governing party of United Kingdom came in 5th place, securing less than 9 percent of the vote. A list of candidates vying to replace Theresa May at the helm of the party, and by exception, the country is growing. The biggest challenge remains unchanged. That would be sorting out Brexit. CNN's Phil Black is outside the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street. Phil, all eyes now in the U.K. on who's going to be living in that building behind you in a month or so time. Do you think that the results from the European elections are going to make the likelihood of a Brexiteer Prime Minister increase, somebody like Boris Johnson or Dominic Rob?
[Phil Black, Cnn Correspondent:] It does seem that way. Bianca, yes, even though these results were certainly no surprise, the Conservative Party saw them coming. They were expected for many conservatives, well, it was one of the reasons why they pushed finally for Theresa May to depart last week. That said, these results will still send a shockwave through the party, because they are absolutely terrible. Truly awful in a sense. So that is why you are hearing some of the contenders essentially describe these results as an existential threat to the party. The people who voted for the Brexit Party in such big numbers, many of them traditional Conservative Party voters who are simply angry and disillusioned that the conservatives have not been able to deliver Brexit yet, and so, that is why already you are seeing within the leadership contest something of a parade of characters who are going out of their way to show that they are willing to talk the toughest and the strongest on Brexit either in terms of being able to do a deal with the E.U. or being willing to accept, perhaps even enthusiastically embrace the ideal idea of a no deal scenario. But among those leading contenders, you see them breaking into two camps, those are talking in just very strong terms about exiting the E.U. on the next deadline, October 31st, doing it regardless of whether it a deal or not is in place, and doing so somewhat enthusiastically, you could put Boris Johnson, and Dominic. END