By YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/Reuters Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has warned President Donald Trump that his refusal to accept the Nobel Peace prize could hurt the U.S.-Japan relationship.
Abe said in a speech to parliament that Trump should respect the Nobel laureates work for peace and the U.
“We cannot allow this to happen and we should never accept a peace prize that would weaken our resolve to continue the fight against terrorism and extremism,” Abe said.
Trump had rejected the Nobel Laureates nomination last week, saying it was too close to his election.
“I cannot accept the award because I am not a winner,” Trump said in an interview with the Times of India newspaper.
Trump said he would be the first president in U.N. history to accept a Nobel Peace award.
“It’s an honor and an honor to have won the Nobel,” Trump told the Times.
The Nobel Peace Laureates are a group of world leaders and politicians who seek to prevent war and violence and promote peace.
The group’s president, Richard Falk, said in February that Trump “should respect the award, but he cannot accept it.”
Trump has refused to meet with the group since then.
Trump has called the Nobel award a “fake” and a “political” award.
Abe, who has been critical of Trump during his presidential campaign, has been more positive, saying the U