When U.S. President Donald Trump visited Tokyo last November, Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirmed that Japan and the United States had reached a historic point in their relationship.
However, Abe's trip to the U.S. to meet Trump on Tuesday and Wednesday takes place at a time when the once lauded rapport between the leaders has increasingly come into question. That is because in recent weeks and days, Tokyo has repeatedly been blindsided by the mercurial American president, particularly regarding announcements that he plans to hold talks with North Korea's supreme leader and new protectionist tariffs that could negatively affect Japanese companies.
In early March, Trump made the surprise announcement that he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. And a month later, he announced the implementation of new aluminum and steel levies to protect domestic producers, only to exempt most major U.S. allies with the exception of Japan.