The United States must maintain forces in Japan to react swiftly to urgent threats in the region, including the biggest concern — North Korea — with its missiles and ongoing succession issue, U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos said Friday.
In a speech at Waseda University in Tokyo, Roos expressed concern over Pyongyang's development of ballistic missiles and the possibility of regime collapse. Its current leader, Kim Jong Il, reportedly suffered a stroke in August 2008 and is thought to have passed the torch to his youngest son, Kim Jong Un.
"The possibility of a regime collapse particularly in the context of leadership succession is a growing concern," Roos said. "A North Korea that falls into internal disarray would pose monumental security challenges to this region."