Tillerson says US seeks to pressure North Korea to resume diplomatic talks

But the US is prepared to respond to a North Korean threat with military force, officials say

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, left, next to Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, shakes hands with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, next to Defense Secretary James Mattis (AP)

The US is seeking to pressure North Korea to resume diplomatic talks on its nuclear weapons programme, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said.

Animosity between the two countries spiked this month after North Korea warned it might fire missiles toward the US territory of Guam in response to warlike rhetoric from Donald Trump. The US leader said any threat from the northern half of the Korean Peninsula would be met with “fire and fury like the world has never seen”.

While the US prefers a diplomatic approach, the country and its allies are prepared to respond to a North Korean threat with military force, Mr Tillerson said at a news conference.

Earlier this week, North Korea appeared to put a hold on its threat to attack Guam, saying it would wait to assess “the foolish and stupid conduct” of the US before launching any missiles. On Twitter, Mr Trump called the move “a very wise and well reasoned decision”.

“With a unified international message like we’ve never had before”, North Korea will realise the level of isolation that it faces, Mr Tillerson said while standing next to Defence Secretary James Mattis and Japan’s top diplomat and defence chief.

Mr Tillerson declined to comment on remarks made by White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who told The American Prospect, a left-of-centre publication, that there is no military solution to the crisis with North Korea – undercutting Mr Trump’s bold threats directed at Kim Jong-un’s regime.

“I don’t really have a comment on what Mr Bannon’s remarks were on that particular interview. I read those,” Mr Tillerson said. “I think we have been quite clear as to what the policy and posture against North Korea is.”

Mr Tillerson and Mr Mattis met with Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono and defence minister Itsunori Onodera to discuss the threats posed by North Korea’s continued development of its nuclear and ballistic weapons programme, as well as other topics.

Following their meeting, the US and Japanese top diplomats and defence chiefs said they had bolstered their countries’ alliance during what Mr Mattis described as a “warm and very productive” conversation.

Mr Mattis added that the US would take immediate action to take down any missile launched toward the territory of its allies, with Mr Tillerson declaring that America would honour its defence treaty agreements with Japan “without reservation”.

Japan has remained a loyal sidekick to the US on North Korea, exhibiting no dismay about Mr Trump’s “fire and fury” comments, even as other other world leaders balked at the warlike rhetoric.

“I think highly of President Trump’s commitment toward the security of allies,” said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after a 30-minute phone call with the US leader, the ninth time the two have spoken by telephone since Mr Trump was inaugurated in January. The leaders have also met three times this year in person.

North Korea has fired 18 missiles during 12 tests since February, improving its technology with each launch. In July, it conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which the regime claims could reach “anywhere in the world”.

According to some reports, the range of a North Korean nuclear missile may extend as far as New York City, but little is publicly known about the capabilities of North Korea’s ICBM technologies.

Mr Kono said Japan would strengthen its defence posture in response to the North Korean threat, as well as encourage China to fully implement UN sanctions targeting North Korea over its weapons programme.

Mr Trump has repeatedly complained that China is not helping the US rein in North Korea, and Mr Tillerson has said “China and Russia bear unique and special responsibility” for North Korea’s “growing threat to regional and global stability”.

But Chinese diplomats and the state news media have asserted that the US and its allies should not depend so much on China to ease tensions created by North Korea’s growing nuclear weapons programme and missile capabilities.