Trump will face Abe, a Japanese, on trading after golf and sumo

President Donald Trump played golf, attended a sumo wrestling match and had dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a hibachi restaurant. But the real deal begins Monday as the two leaders sit down to try to resolve trade and defense tensions.

Trump acknowledged Sunday that a trade deal would not be reached during the trip, saying nothing would be finalized until July's Japanese elections. While Trump and Abe spent most of the day together, the trade negotiators met separately to reach an agreement after Trump threatened to raise auto rates.

"The Prime Minister and I talked a lot today about trade, armed forces and many other things," Trump told reporters before dinner with Abe. "And I think we had a very productive day and tomorrow would also be a very productive day."

Trump and Abe spent about two and a half hours playing golf before heading to Japan's summer Grand Sumo tournament, where he handed the winner a four-foot trophy that he had ordered. They will meet individually and have a working lunch on Monday. Trump will also become the first foreign leader to meet the new Emperor of Japan.

Japan seeks to remain in Trump's favor to avoid expensive tariffs and maintain positive relations with an ally that ensures its safety against the tastes of China and North Korea. Abe would have sought to mediate intensifying tensions between the United States, North Korea and Iran.

The two countries still have differences on trade and have agreed to "work to reach an agreement quickly," Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Saturday after almost three hours of talks with the US representative. of Commerce, Robert Lighthizer, in Tokyo. They did not address controversial issues such as US threats to restrict Japanese car exports and apply a monetary clause, Motegi said.

Japan will hold elections to the Upper House in July, and many have predicted that the government would take the opportunity to dissolve the more powerful upper house simultaneously. It will be politically difficult for Abe to concede anything, especially on agriculture, before the vote.

Trump, meanwhile, is seeking an agreement to help his candidacy for reelection next year. As the trade war against China intensifies, the US president is seeking to open new markets for farmers affected by rising tariffs. However, this may be difficult if he also insists on limiting imports of cars and parts made in Japan.

The four-day visit to Trump will also include a visit to one of Japan's two largest warships since the Second World War. This will allow Abe to point out that his government is investing more in US military equipment, especially since Trump was preparing to ask more money from Japan for hosting US troops.

"Japan is making very large orders, which we appreciate and that we think is probably appropriate now, considering everything that's going on," Trump said at a meeting with business leaders, Saturday. "The world changes."

Golf, sumo

On Sunday morning, Trump and Abe played golf at the Mobara Country Club with Japanese professional golfer Isao Aoki. Later, the two leaders entered the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall in front of an enthusiastic crowd of more than 11,000 people.

"It was something to see, these great athletes, because they are really athletes," said Trump about the sumo match. "It's a very old sport. And I always wanted to see sumo wrestling. So it was really great.

Some traditions have been adapted for Trump. Rather than sitting on traditional cushions, chairs were built on a platform to give him more support for the back. He wore shoes while looking at the matches but slipped on slippers to walk on the sacred mountain. He sank after helping to hand the trophy to at least 60 pounds to the winner Asanoyama.

Trump knows the professional fight well. He hosted the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. events in his former Atlantic City casino, seated at the forefront of the fighting and engaging in on-screen rivalry with WWE President Vince McMahon. Linda's wife, McMahon, led the Small Business Administration until the beginning of the year and now chairs the Trump America First Action Pro-Politics Action Committee.

The president stuck to a generally uninviting menu. He ate a Sunday cheeseburger with American beef, a symbol since Japan's recent reopening of US beef imports. For dinner, he had a potato, a salad, grilled chicken and a Wagyu beef steak with broccoli and carrots, followed by a vanilla ice cream.

To contact the reporters on this story: Jennifer Epstein in Tokyo at [email protected] and Shannon Pettypiece in Washington at [email protected]

To contact the editors in charge of this story: Alex Wayne at [email protected], Daniel Ten Kate at [email protected], Justin Blum, Matthew G. Miller

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