Trump will play golf in Japan with Shinzō Abe next month

  • Trump and Abe agreed to play golf on Nov. 5 during a conference call Sunday night
  • The Japanese foreign ministry confirmed the arrangement even though the White House is playing coy 
  • Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama, the world No. 3-ranked pro, will join the two leaders on the links in Japan on the first foreign stop in Trump’s five-country tour

Japan’s foreign ministry confirmed Monday that Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump will play a round of golf on Nov. 5 as Trump begins a nearly two-week-long trip to Asia.

The White House didn’t release a summary of the Sunday evening call, but the Japanese government did. 

Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama, the world No. 3-ranked pro, will join the two leaders on the links.

'Having a great time hosting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the United States!' tweeted Trump Saturday morning, posting this picture of the two sharing a high-five

‘Having a great time hosting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the United States!’ tweeted Trump Saturday morning, posting this picture of the two sharing a high-five

After a visit to Japan, Trump will travel to South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. He will also stop in Hawaii on his way to Japan, where he is expected to tour the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.

Trump and Abe played a round of golf in Florida and met at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort club in February.

A senior White House official played coy on Monday morning about the idea of Trump carving out four hours for fun on a trip that will see him and his aides travel more than 21,000 miles.

But the official said Trump and Abe are ‘both golf fanatics. I wouldn’t be surprised if they find an opportunity to play. … He’s definitely open to it.’

Asked if the president is packing his golf clubs for the trip, the official joked that seeing them ‘would be the indicator, I think, that someone – probably me – will be carrying his golf bag onto the airplane.’ 

Monday morning’s briefing also revealed that Trump will address South Korea’s national assembly on Nov. 8. 

The official said there is no plan for Trump to visit the Korean peninsula’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

But Trump will meet one-on-one with Philippine strongman Rodrigo Duterte during the trip’s final leg in Manila. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk