After new N. Korea missile test, U.S. says has military options

[TomCADem]

21. If so, Doesn't That Prove That U.S. Is Not Going to Protect Japan?

If the U.S. truly is treating test missiles launched at real targets as real, then the U.S. has pretty much done nothing as North Korea has launched missiles toward Japan. But, if it was launched at Guam, as you explain, then there may be consequences.

Which I think is the point that North Korea is trying to make. For all of Trump's bluster and threats, he is not a reliable ally. Worse, as you point out, while he will look the other way as missiles are launched toward Japan, if North Korea launches a test missile toward Guam, the U.S. will attack overwhelmingly with real ordinance, which will then give North Korea the green light to shoot artillery into the South Korea and Seoul, which will also illustrate to South Korea that Trump is not a reliable ally, particularly since Trump has been raising tensions with South Korea's new President.

Put another way, Russia/North Korea/China are totally playing Trump and boxing him in with his own bellicose rhetoric. The main calculation really is not whether North Korea actually launches nukes in a limited scale tit for tat, but whether Trump feels the need to make good with his overwhelming force threats.