Sunday’s Sankei led with a speculative piece projecting that when Prime Minister Abe meets with South Korean President Moon in PyeongChang on Friday, he is likely to press for holding joint drills between the U.S. and the South Korean militaries without delay after the Paralympics end in mid-March. By making such a request, the premier is set to dissuade Seoul from being tempted to postpone the regular bilateral exercises again in view of North Korea’s eagerness for dialogue.  

Sankei also reported that GOJ officials have surveyed several shelters that South Korea has set up in and around PyeongChang for evacuating residents and visitors in the event of a DPRK missile attack. The Japanese side has reportedly held discussions with relevant South Korean authorities on how to evacuate Japanese citizens if such a contingency occurs during the Olympics.