The leaders of Japan and the United States have said the time for dialogue with North Korea is over, just as South Korea slapped a new raft of unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang. Speaking at a joint news conference, Abe said Japan and the US are in complete agreement about what measures should be taken against Pyongyang. Trump departed the United States on Friday, beginning an almost two week trip to Asia that will take in five countries. After initially planning on returning from his first-ever presidential trip to Asia without attending the East Asia Summit (EAS) in the Philippines, Trump will now attend the entire summit. US strategic policy in Southeast Asia pays startlingly little attention to the role of economics, writes Jacob Merle of CSIC for East Asia Forum.