WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday after White House talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the two leaders were working together to improve trading relations and that Abe promised new Japanese investment in the United States.

At a joint news conference, Trump said Abe told him Japan was buying “billions and billions of dollars of additional products of all kinds - military jets, airliners from Boeing, lots of farm products.”

“We’re working hard to reduce our trade imbalance which is very substantial, remove barriers to U.S. exports and to achieve a fair and mutually beneficial economic partnership,” Trump said.

Japan, a key American ally, is among a number of countries hit by metal tariffs Trump has imposed this year. The Trump administration has also threatened levies on imports of Japanese cars.

Trump has made clear he prefers a bilateral deal to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, while Abe’s government says multilateral agreements would be best.

“The United States seeks a bilateral deal with Japan that is based on the principle of fairness and reciprocity,” Trump said on Thursday.

Abe said he had a detailed and candid exchange of views with Trump and the discussions focused on North Korea.

Trump said his administration encouraged Japanese investment in new plants in the United States.

“The prime minister told me that will happen,” he said. “We want new auto plants going into Michigan and Pennsylvania and Ohio.” </s> WASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday after White House talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the two leaders were working together to improve trading relations and that Abe promised new Japanese investment in the United States.

At a joint news conference, Trump said Abe told him Japan was buying "billions and billions of dollars of additional products of all kinds - military jets, airliners from Boeing, lots of farm products."

"We're working hard to reduce our trade imbalance which is very substantial, remove barriers to U.S. exports and to achieve a fair and mutually beneficial economic partnership," Trump said.

Japan, a key American ally, is among a number of countries hit by metal tariffs Trump has imposed this year. The Trump administration has also threatened levies on imports of Japanese cars.

Trump has made clear he prefers a bilateral deal to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, while Abe's government says multilateral agreements would be best.

"The United States seeks a bilateral deal with Japan that is based on the principle of fairness and reciprocity," Trump said on Thursday.

Abe said he had a detailed and candid exchange of views with Trump and the discussions focused on North Korea.

Trump said his administration encouraged Japanese investment in new plants in the United States.

"The prime minister told me that will happen," he said. "We want new auto plants going into Michigan and Pennsylvania and Ohio." (Reporting by James Oliphant; Writing by Mohammad Zargham Editing by James Dalgleish) </s> NEW YORK (Reuters) - Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described Donald Trump as a “trustworthy leader” after meeting the U.S. president-elect on Thursday to get clarity on statements Trump had made while campaigning that had caused concern about the alliance.

Abe, speaking after the hastily arranged 90-minute meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan, reporters: “The talks made me feel sure that we can build a relationship of trust.” But he would not disclose specifics because the conversation was unofficial.

Trump, in a brief entry on his Facebook page accompanied by a photo of the two men, said: “It was a pleasure to have Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stop by my home and begin a great friendship.”

Japan’s leadership has been nervous about the future of an alliance that is core to Tokyo’s diplomacy and security.

Trump had fanned worries in Tokyo and beyond with comments on the possibility of Japan acquiring nuclear arms, demands that allies pay more for keeping U.S. forces on their soil or face their possible withdrawal, and his opposition to the U.S.-led 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact.

Abe had worked closely with President Barack Obama on the TPP trade pact, which was part of Obama’s push to counter the rising strength of China and a pillar of Abe’s economic reforms.

“Alliances cannot function without trust. I am now confident that President-elect Trump is a trustworthy leader,” said Abe, describing the talks as “candid” and held in a “warm atmosphere”.

Abe gave Trump a golf driver and received golf-wear in return, Japanese officials said.

Photographs taken inside the ornate meeting room at Trump Tower showed Abe accompanied only by an interpreter and Trump by his daughter Ivanka, her husband and Trump adviser Jared Kushner, and Retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn whom a senior Trump official said on Thursday had been offered the national security adviser position.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses media following a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 17, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

COMMON GROUND

Abe said he had agreed to meet again with Trump “at a convenient time to cover a wider area in greater depth.”

It was unclear if that would happen before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Trump official Kellyanne Conway told CBS earlier on Thursday that “any deeper conversations about policy and the relationship between Japan and the United States will have to wait until after the inauguration.”

Back in Tokyo, Finance Minister Taro Aso commented: “The meeting ran longer than planned, which means that they were on the same wavelength and it went well.”

Some of Trump’s campaign rhetoric suggested an image of Japan forged in the 1980s, when Tokyo was seen by many in the United States as a threat to jobs and a free-rider on defense.

A Trump adviser who spoke earlier in the week, however, stressed a more positive view and credited Abe with making changes.

“Frankly, the prime minister has been more assertive and forthright in trying to make those changes to Japan’s global posture,” he said.

Trump, a brash billionaire real estate magnate, and Abe, a political blue blood, share a stated desire to raise their countries’ global standing and both have support from right-wing constituencies.

Abe has boosted Japan’s overall defense spending since taking office in 2012. He has also stretched the limits of its pacifist postwar constitution to allow the military to take a bigger global role. Japan’s defense spending, though, still stands at just over 1 percent of GDP compared with more than 3 percent in the United States.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is taken in a motorcade to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 17, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Abe was expected to see Obama at an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru on the weekend. Hours before Abe and Trump met, Obama’s secretary of state, John Kerry, and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met in Lima to discuss the Paris climate accord - a deal Trump has pledged to exit.

Diplomats and analysts say that however good the atmospherics, it will be hard to assess Trump’s policies on security issues ranging from overseas deployments of U.S. troops, China’s maritime assertiveness and the North Korean nuclear threat until Trump makes key appointments. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he planned to discuss American purchases of Japanese automobiles and other sensitive trade issues with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during their meeting at the White House on Thursday.

Trump, at the start of the meeting with Abe, said he also would raise the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, a key American ally that was among countries hit by the metal tariffs Trump imposed this spring.

“Obviously, we buy a lot of things from Japan - in particular, automobiles. We’ll have to talk about that,” Trump told reporters, adding that Japan also buys a lot of military equipment from the United States.

Abe, who is in Washington to meet with Trump ahead of the U.S. president’s historic summit next week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, praised Trump and said he also wanted to talk about investment.

Their meeting comes as Trump prepares to attend the G7 summit on Friday and Saturday in Canada, where a cool reception may await him following his tariffs on steel and aluminum that also were levied on Japan, Canada, European nations and others.

The G7 group includes Canada, the United States, Japan, Britain, Italy, France and Germany. The EU also attends. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he planned to discuss American purchases of Japanese automobiles and other sensitive trade issues with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during their meeting at the White House on Thursday.

Trump, at the start of the meeting with Abe, said he also would raise the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, a key American ally that was among countries hit by the metal tariffs Trump imposed this spring.

"Obviously, we buy a lot of things from Japan - in particular, automobiles. We'll have to talk about that," Trump told reporters, adding that Japan also buys a lot of military equipment from the United States.

Abe, who is in Washington to meet with Trump ahead of the U.S. president's historic summit next week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, praised Trump and said he also wanted to talk about investment.

Their meeting comes as Trump prepares to attend the G7 summit on Friday and Saturday in Canada, where a cool reception may await him following his tariffs on steel and aluminum that also were levied on Japan, Canada, European nations and others.

The G7 group includes Canada, the United States, Japan, Britain, Italy, France and Germany. The EU also attends.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. </s> WASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he planned to discuss American purchases of Japanese automobiles and other sensitive trade issues with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during their meeting at the White House on Thursday.

Trump, at the start of the meeting with Abe, said he also would raise the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, a key American ally that was among countries hit by the metal tariffs Trump imposed this spring.

"Obviously, we buy a lot of things from Japan - in particular, automobiles. We'll have to talk about that," Trump told reporters, adding that Japan also buys a lot of military equipment from the United States.

Abe, who is in Washington to meet with Trump ahead of the U.S. president's historic summit next week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, praised Trump and said he also wanted to talk about investment.

Their meeting comes as Trump prepares to attend the G7 summit on Friday and Saturday in Canada, where a cool reception may await him following his tariffs on steel and aluminum that also were levied on Japan, Canada, European nations and others.

The G7 group includes Canada, the United States, Japan, Britain, Italy, France and Germany. The EU also attends. (Reporting by James Oliphant Writing by Susan Heavey Editing by Bill Trott) </s> Washington, June 15 (IANS) U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Iran and bilateral trade.

The two leaders on Friday discussed Abe’s recent trip to Iran, the ongoing U.S.-Japan bilateral trade negotiations and Trump’s upcoming trip to the Group of 20 (G20) Osaka summit in late June, Xinhua reported, citing a White House statement.

“President Trump thanked Abe for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran,” said the statement.

Abe paid a visit to Iran earlier this week, which was the first visit made by a Japanese prime minister since Takeo Fukuda in 1978.

The rare visit aimed at easing tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, told Abe on Thursday that it was meaningless to exchange message with Trump, according to Iranian state media.

“While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!” Trump tweeted on Thursday.

Abe’s visit was also overshadowed by the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman on Thursday, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company.

The Trump administration has claimed that Iran is responsible for the attacks, while Tehran called U.S. allegation as “sabotage diplomacy.” </s> The prime minister of Japan on Tuesday left for the United States to meet with the US president in a summit focusing on talks with North Korea and protectionist measures announced by Washington.

Shinzo Abe will attend a two-day summit with Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago in Florida until Wednesday, his second visit to Trump's private house since the latter became president in January 2017. </s> Abe to press Trump to raise issue of abducted at Kim summit

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, unable to meet North Korea's leader himself, is heading to Washington to try to make sure President Donald Trump doesn't overlook Japan's security and other concerns at the unprecedented U.S.-North Korea summit next week.

Abe will have less than two hours to make his points to Trump at the White House on Thursday, before both go to Canada for a G-7 summit on Friday and Saturday, and the American president then flies to Singapore for his June 12 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Japan, which relied on the U.S. for its post-World War II diplomacy and security, has been absent in the recent burst of engagement with North Korea. Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have both met Kim twice, as Abe waits his turn to raise Japan's concerns directly.

"I want to make sure to be on the same page with President Trump ahead of the first ever U.S.-North Korea summit so we can push forward nuclear and missile issues, and most importantly the abduction problem, and make for a successful summit," Abe told reporters before leaving for the airport.

Abe doesn't want Trump to strike a compromise that would leave Japan exposed to shorter-range missiles that do not threaten the U.S. mainland or that relieves pressure on North Korea before it takes concrete steps toward complete denuclearization. He is expected to ask Trump once again to raise with Kim the fate of Japanese abducted by the North in the 1970s and 1980s.

"It wouldn't be my style to have to ask the U.S. for help on the abduction issue," said Hitoshi Tanaka, a former diplomat and head of a think tank, the Institute for International Strategy. "It's embarrassing that a state leader has to ask another leader in resolving the sovereignty of his people."

While in Washington, Abe will also likely press Trump to remove Japan from U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, as well as express his opposition to threats of sharply higher U.S. tariffs on imported automobiles. Abe said he will show at the G-7 summit his full backing for Trump on North Korea, but he will urge everyone to take leadership in promoting free and fair trade rather than escalating disputes.

Japan hopes to hold talks with North Korea after a successful Trump-Kim summit. Abe has said he is open to meeting with Kim, but only if it would lead to resolving the abduction issue. He said Japan would then normalize ties and provide economic aid as rewards for a North Korean commitment to both denuclearization and resolution of the abduction issue.

Japanese analysts agree that if Abe's turn to meet Kim comes, it would be at the very end of a long process as Trump and other regional leaders deal with North Korea's denuclearization.

"Japan eventually should develop its own diplomacy to deal with North Korea independently to resolve its problems, including the abductions," said Atsuhito Isozaki, a Keio University professor specializing in North Korea.

He said that economic aid or financial compensation for Japan's 35-year colonization of Korea could be attractive, but noted that North Korea now has other potential sources of assistance.

"Japan's economy does not stand out in northeast Asia as it did 16 years ago," he said, when Pyongyang and Tokyo last tried to negotiate a normalization of ties. Without Japan's help, North Korea has arranged a summit with the U.S. and possible economic cooperation from South Korea, he said this week at a briefing for media.

After a 2002 summit between then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, North Korea acknowledged abducting 13 Japanese and allowed five of them to visit Japan, though they then stayed, angering North Korea. Japan says at least 17 Japanese were abducted and possibly more.

Japanese officials are scrambling to get information on the Trump-Kim summit. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Japan will dispatch diplomats to Singapore to try to get the latest updates.

After his last meeting with Trump in April, Abe said the two leaders were in complete agreement on North Korea policy, namely to keep sanctions in place until Pyongyang takes concrete action toward verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.

Concerns have since grown in Japan that Trump may be prioritizing holding a summit rather than the goal of full denuclearization. Abe, who has played tough on the North, also worries that a growing reconciliatory mood between the two Koreas may prompt leniency toward Pyongyang.

Trump's recent statement that he doesn't want to keep using the phrase "maximum pressure" against North Korea reinforced those fears.

North Korea's state media Korea Central News Agency criticized Abe and other Japanese officials for insisting on pressuring the North. KCNA, quoting the Rodong Shimmun newspaper, said Japan worries about being "marginalized from the structure around the Korean Peninsula."
Donald Trump and Shinzō Abe discuss improving trade relations between the two countries.