US military bases that are stationed in Japan will not be relocated “within the foreseeable future” since the island country still needs security backing from the United States, the Japanese Prime Minister Shizo Abe has claimed In an interview with the WSJ, published on Tuesday, Abe said: “I cannot conceive of any situation within the foreseeable future when the US presence wouldn’t be necessary” RT reports: The statement came in response to a question on the possibility of the withdrawal of American troops from Japan – a move recently proposed by Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, who said if elected he may reconsider the 56-year-old security pact between the two-countries. US President Barack Obama, in turn, called Japan “one of the closest allies” of the United States while meeting Prime Minister Abe in February. This alliance is “the central foundation for [our] regional security,” Obama argued. Abe echoed Obama’s statement: “By strengthening the Japan-US alliance, we’ll strengthen deterrence and that will contribute to peace and stability in the region, not just Japan,” he said. Abe’s government last year passed a controversial law allowing the Japanese military to engage in war to defend its allies, despite protests and opposition attempts to [...]