Story highlights Donald Trump reiterated his belief that Japan should arm itself to deter a threat from North Korea

"We can't be the policeman to the world and have $19 trillion in debt," Trump added

(CNN) Donald Trump on Saturday reiterated his belief that Japan should arm itself to deter a threat from North Korea rather than have the U.S. military protect the longtime ally against the rogue nuclear nation.

Meanwhile, Trump throughout the day maintained that the U.S. should pressure NATO member states to begin "paying their fair share."

"I would rather have them not arm, but I'm not going to continue to lose this tremendous amount of money. And frankly, the case could be made that let them protect themselves against North Korea. They'd probably wipe them out pretty quick," Trump said at a campaign event in Wasau, Wisconsin, Saturday afternoon.

The GOP front-runner added, "If they fight, you know what, that'd be a terrible thing. Terrible. ... But if they do, they do."

Earlier this week, Trump raised eyebrows and startled Japan and South Korea, two of America's strongest allies, with the suggestion that the U.S. military should be withdrawn from their shores, with nuclear weapons replacing them.

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