U.S. envoy to Japan nominee wants Japan to take bigger alliance role

U.S. Ambassador to Japan nominee Kenneth Weinstein on Wednesday called on Japan to take a greater role in the alliance amid China's growing assertiveness, while vowing to pursue a "comprehensive trade agreement" between Washington and Tokyo to deepen the bilateral economic ties."As we engage in this strategic competition (with China) in the Indo-Pacific, all of us need to do more...Japan needs to do more," the 58-year-old head of the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based conservative think tank, told a Senate committee.With President Donald Trump pushing for Japan to pay more of the costs as…READ FULL ARTICLE