President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Abe. Photo: Kiyoshi Ota / Pool / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Congress was notified on Tuesday that the Trump administration approved an SM-3 anti-ballistic missile sale with Japan that, per a State Department Official, is estimated to cost $133.3 million.
Why it matters: North Korea has flown ballistic missiles over Japan. In September, Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Sug said Japan will "never tolerate this repeated extreme provocative action," according to Al Jazeera.
- The State Department Official said that the sale "will bolster the security of a major treaty ally that has been, and continues to be, a force for political stability and economic progress in the Asia-Pacific region...It would also follow through on President Trump's commitment to provide additional defensive capabilities to treaty allies threatened by the DPRK's provocative behavior."