Peppered with pomp and decorum, U.S. President Donald Trump's four-day visit to Japan ended with a symbolic gesture highlighting the long-standing military ties between the U.S. and Japan, with Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe jointly boarding the Japanese helicopter carrier Kaga to give an address to both the U.S. Navy and the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
According to Japan's Defense Ministry, Trump is the first U.S. president to board an MSDF vessel. Tuesday's boarding by the pair underlines Abe's long-standing efforts to further strengthen the bilateral military alliance, and show it off to the world in hopes of keeping China and North Korea in check.
"At this very historic moment as Japan begins Reiwa, ... we celebrate the U.S.-Japan alliance and the friendship between our freedom-loving peoples," said Trump aboard the Kaga, currently stationed at Yokosuka Bay in Kanagawa Prefecture.