Chronologies
US - Japan
Chronology from May 2017 to Aug 2017
: North Korea launches a Hwasong-12 IRBM over northern Japan. The missile lands approximately 733 miles east of the island.
: North Korea tests three short-range ballistic missiles. One explodes immediately after launch, while two others flew approximately 155 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan.
: US Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift announces that Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, head of the 7th US Fleet, will be relieved from duty following the collisions of the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain.
: US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson announces that the Navy will conduct a fleet-wide review and halts some operations to focus on safety procedures.
: Aegis destroyer USS John S. McCain collides with Alnic MC, a Liberian tanker, in the Strait of Malacca, resulting in 10 missing US sailors and injuries to five others.
: US and South Korea hold annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise.
: Following an initial review of the USS Fitzgerald collision, Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, head of the 7th Fleet, announces that the commanding officer, executive officer, and command master chief of the ship will be relieved from duty.
: US Ambassador to Japan William Haggerty arrives in Tokyo.
: President Trump and PM Abe speak on the phone to discuss the growing threat from North Korea.
: US Navy releases a preliminary report on the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine freighter on June 17.
: North Korea announces it is reviewing plans to strike US military targets in Guam with four ballistic missiles.
: President Trump threatens to unleash “fire and fury” if North Korea endangers the US or its territories.
: FM Kono, Secretary Tillerson, and South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha hold a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ARF in Manila.
: FM Kono and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Manila.
: UN Security Council passes Resolution 2371 imposing new sanctions on North Korea.
: US Navy suspends search for missing sailor from the USS Stethem.
: PM Abe reshuffles his Cabinet. Onodera Itsunori is appointed minister of defense and Kono Taro is appointed minister of foreign affairs.
: US sailor is reported missing and assumed overboard from the guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem while it is conducting routine operations about 140 miles west of Subic Bay in the Philippines.
: PM Abe and President Trump speak on the phone to exchange concerns about North Korea’s recent missile test.
: Japan’s Ministry of Finance announces that the country will raise tariffs on frozen beef imports from the US and other countries to 50 percent (up from 38.5 percent) until March 2018 to protect domestic farmers.
: North Korea tests an ICBM that appears capable of reaching the West Coast of the US. It flies 620 miles and lands in the sea near Hokkaido, Japan.
: Defense Minister Inada Tomomi announces that she will resign following allegations that she withheld information from the Diet about the dangers facing Japanese soldiers on a UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.
: House of Councillors lawmaker Renho announces that she will resign as president of Japan’s opposition Democratic Party.
: Prime Minister Abe appears in a special Diet hearing to reassert that he never rigged the government’s decision to back a new veterinary department at a university run by his close friend, Kake Kotaru.
: Fifth Japan-US Cyber Dialogue is held in Tokyo. The Japanese delegation is led by Deputy Director General of the Foreign Policy Bureau and Ambassador for Cyber Policy Otaka Masato. The US delegation is led by Christopher Painter, Coordinator for Cyber Issues at the State Department.
: Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State and Director of Policy Planning Brian Hook, Deputy Foreign Minister for Foreign Policy Suzuki Satoshi, and Director General of the Policy Planning Bureau Ma Sang-yoon hold trilateral policy planning dialogue in Washington, DC.
: US Senate confirms William Hagerty (86-12 vote) as US ambassador to Japan.
: President Trump and PM Abe meet on sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany. They condemn North Korea’s July 4 missile test.
: President Trump, PM Abe, and President Moon hold a US-Japan-ROK trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.
: North Korea tests its Hwasong-14 ICBM, which flies 578 miles before landing in the Seat of Japan.
: President Trump and PM Abe speak by phone to exchange views on the threat posed by North Korea.
: Tokyo Gov. Koike Yuriko’s Tokyo First party scores sweeping victory in Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly elections, upsetting the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Supporters of Koike now control 79 of 127 seats, including 49 held by Tokyo First.
: North Korea tests a rocket engine that, according to US officials, could be part of a program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
: Missing US sailor from USS Shiloh is found hiding in an engineering space on the ship.
: US-Japan bilateral Extended Deterrence Dialogue convenes in Tokyo. Japan is represented by Deputy Director General of the North American Affairs Bureau Ono Keiichi and Deputy Director General of the Defense Policy Bureau Oka Masami. US is represented by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Anita Friedt and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities Thomas Harvey.
: US Navy suspends search for missing US sailor from the USS Shiloh after US Navy, JSMDF, and Japan Coast Guard assets spend more than 50 hours in a comprehensive search of 5,500 square miles of the Philippine Sea.
: US sailor is reported missing and assumed overboard from the guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh while it is conducting routine operations 180 miles east of Okinawa.
: North Korea test-fires cruise missiles from its east coast into the Sea of Japan.
: Acting Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Eliot Kang travels to Japan to attend the biannual Plenary Meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.
: North Korea tests a Scud-class short-range ballistic missile, which flies 280 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan.
: President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Abe Shinzo meet in Taormina, Italy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. They discuss cooperation on North Korea, maritime issues, and terrorist threats.
: North Korea tests a Pukguksong-2 medium-range ballistic missile, which flies 310 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan.
: Fourth US-Japan Comprehensive Dialogue on Space convenes in Washington. The dialogue is co-chaired by the Executive Office of the President’s National Security Council and Office of Science and Technology Policy for the US, and by representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Space Policy Secretariat, Cabinet Office for Japan.
: North Korea tests a Hwasong-12 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM), which it says is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The missile flies 430 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan.
: US Senate confirms Robert Lighthizer (82-14 vote) as US Trade Representative.
: Guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain collides with a South Korean fishing vessel in international waters east of the Korean Peninsula. No injuries are reported.