Donald Trump said he would be open to Japan and South Korea building nuclear weapons to deter North Korea, and would consider withdrawing troops from both American allies unless they paid more for their own defence.
In an interview with the New York Times, Mr Trump said that allowing Japan and South Korea to develop a nuclear arsenal would reduce pressure on the US to come to their defence every time North Korea acted belligerently. Washington could not continue to respond to requests for help whenever Pyongyang “raises its head”, he warned.
“There’ll be a point at which we’re just not going to be able to do it any more. Now, does that mean nuclear? It could mean nuclear,” the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination said.