President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo are taking very different stances on North Korea's recent test launch of short-range ballistic missiles. In a press conference Monday, Abe told reporters that tests were "of great regret" while President Trump said he wasn't "personally" bothered by them.
"All I know is that there have been no nuclear tests. There have been no ballistic missiles going out. There have been no long-range missiles going out. And I think that someday we'll have a deal. I'm not in a rush," the president told reporters in Japan on Monday.
President Trump's downplayed the May 9 missile tests before, previously describing them to Politico as "very standard."
Some analysts think North Korea fired the missiles partly to pressure the Trump administration to come back to denuclearization talks. But North Korean officials expect the U.S. to move away from its demand for "unilateral disarmament" before that happens.
President Trump also told reporters Monday that he does not believe the recent missile launches violated United Nations resolutions.
"My people think it could have been a violation, as you know. I view it different," the president said.
He was most likely referring to U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, who said on Saturday that there was "no doubt" that the tests were a violation.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
