New US defence chief '100%' backs Japan alliance

US Defense Secretary James Mattis said Friday that the United States stands "100 percent" with Japan on a visit meant to confirm the importance of the countries' security alliance. “We stand firmly, 100 percent, shoulder-to-shoulder with you and (the) Japanese people," Mattis told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after arriving on his first visit since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. "I wanted to make certain that Article Five of our mutual defence treaty is understood to