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Japan monitors situation after Trump's withdraw from nuke arms pact

TOKYO, Oct 22 (KUNA) -- Japan said Monday that it will closely watch the situation after US President Donald Trump announced the country's withdrawal from the nuclear missile treaty with Russia last week.
"In considering the role of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) it has played in arms control and disarmament between the US and Russia, as well as the impact on the regional security, we would like to pay close attention to the future movements of the US and Russia concerning this treaty," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.
"Japan and the US are exchanging views on various issues including security and nuclear disarmament," the top government spokesman told reporters, declining further comment.
On Saturday, Trump announced that he will pull the US out of the Cold War-era nuclear arms treaty that the country signed with the former Soviet Union, saying Russia has been violating the agreement for many years.
The landmark arms control pact was signed by then US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in December 1987. It prohibits the two countries from possessing, producing, or test-flying ground-launched nuclear cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 km. (end) mk.gta