U.S., Japan pledge continued deterrence amid Russian, North Korean, Chinese threats

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend an official welcoming ceremony during their meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19 as the two nations increasingly provide mutual military support that U.S. and Japanese officials view as a challenge to regional and global peace. File Photo by Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool/EPA-EFE Dec. 12 (UPI) — Increasingly hostile rhetoric involving the potential use of nuclear weapons has U.S. and Japanese delegations pledging continued deterrence in East Asia. U.S. and Japanese delegations met in Japan Tuesday through Thursday to share their respective assessments of challenges to regional…