President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump dined at one of Tokyo’s finest restaurants with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie.
The leaders and their wives enjoyed a private meal at Ginza Ukai Tei, where dinner courses cost at least $200.
Entering the restaurant, Trump told reporters that he had an ‘extraordinary’ relationship Abe, whom he played golf with earlier today.
He said they would continue their discussions over dinner, ‘where I think we will insult everybody by continuing to talk about trade.’
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump dined at one of Tokyo’s finest restaurants with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie on Sunday evening
Trump said he and Abe would continue their discussions over dinner, ‘where I think we will insult everybody by continuing to talk about trade’
He leaned in the direction of his wife and Abe’s wife as he made the quip, grinning after he said it
Abe gave a friendly wave to the press but he did not make any remarks, unlike Trump, who addressed the press
Entering the restaurant, Trump told reporters that he had an ‘extraordinary’ relationship Abe
Trump leaned over to look at his wife and Abe’s wife as he made the quip, grinning after he said it.
‘But the time is a little bit limited, And then tomorrow’s a very busy day,’ he observed. ‘So thank you all for being here. We appreciate it. Okay?’
Trump and Abe will have a full afternoon of talks tomorrow on trade and the security threat posed by a nuclear North Korea.
‘And we’re doing very well. I think we’re doing very well. The relationship is really extraordinary,’ the U.S. president said Sunday evening of his informal conversations earlier in the day with Abe, who stayed silent as the visiting leader addressed a pack of press.
‘We like each other, and our countries like each other, and I don’t think we’ve ever been closer to Japan than we are right now,’ Trump asserted. ‘So it’s a great honor. Believe me. It’s a great honor.’
Trump hit the links this afternoon with Abe and a famed international golfer in Tokyo.
They played nine holes with Hideki Matsuyama, currently the No. 4 ranked pro golfer in the world, after a leisurely lunch at Kasumigaseki Country Club.
Tonight, they went out in Tokyo’s trendy Ginza district, where pre-fixe meals begin at $170.
A Japanese official told reporters that tonight’s dinner included Hokkaido scallopand white truffle salad alongside sautéed shizuoka’s ise ebi bisque and tajima beef steak.
Earlier today, the president and prime minister played golf for several hours. A senior U.S. official said the men did not keep score.
Following a friendly handshake outside the venue, Trump and Abe signed white, ‘Donald & Shinzo Make Alliance Even Greater’ ball caps before their meal.
Their wives, Akie and Melania, met separately for afternoon tea. Mrs. Abe and Mrs. Trump also received a lesson on the history of pearl diving, according to the first lady’s spokeswoman.
President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hold up hats they have both signed that read “Donald and Shinzo, Make Alliance Even Greater” at Kasumigaseki Country Club on Sunday. They had lunch and went golfing this afternoon
President Donald Trump, left, greets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Kasumigaseki Country Club
First lady Melania Trump (C) arrives at Mikimoto Ginza Main Store in the fashionable Ginza district of Tokyo on Sunday
Melania Trump is welcomed by Japanese First Lady Akie Abe (L) upon arriving at Mikimoto
First lady Melania Trump listens to a sales manager of Mikimoto, while accompanied by Japanese First Lady Akie Abe during her visit to Mikimoto Pearl main store in the Ginza district of Tokyo
In the middle of his country club outing, President Trump tweeted a video of himself wearing a white hat, whacking a golf ball.
‘Playing golf with Prime Minister Abe and Hideki Matsuyama, two wonderful people!’ he said.
Trump will enjoy downtime this afternoon at his accommodations before an upscale dinner with Abe in Tokyo.
President Trump delivered remarks to the troops at Yokoto Air Base near Tokyo earlier this morning, telling them the U.S. ‘will never yield, never waver and never falter in defense of our people,’ before he lifted off in Marine One to join up with Abe.
U.S. first lady Melania Trump waves to photographer as she and her Japanese counterpart Akie Abe, left, visit Mikimoto Ginza Main Store, Japan’s pearl jewelry maker
Mrs. Abe met with Mrs. Trump at the Mikimoto Ginza store in Tokyo while her husband met with the U.S. president
The two women had tea together and took in the culture of Japan, the first lady’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said
‘American soldiers are prepared to defend their nation using the full range of our unmatched capabilities,’ he said at Yokota. ‘No one – no dictator, no regime and no nation – should underestimate, ever, American resolve.’
The remarks were an affront to North Korea, a subject that a U.S. official who briefed the press says Trump and Abe discussed lightly during their informal outing on Sunday afternoon.
The Trumps arrived in Tokyo on Sunday morning local time after an overnight flight from Honolulu.
Mrs. Abe met with Mrs. Trump at the Mikimoto Ginza store in Tokyo while her husband met with the U.S. president. The two women had tea together and took in the culture of Japan, the first lady’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said.
In the evening, the couples will reunite for dinner at Ginza Ukai Tei, a Japanese fine-dining establishment that’s described on its English-language website as having an ‘atmosphere where art-nouveau and Japanese style meet, and it is just like a museum.’
The Trumps arrived at Yokota Air Base at Fussa in Tokyo earlier on Sunday
President Trump spoke to the troops before departing the Air Force base
Trump is helped in putting on his Commander in Chief jacket upon taking the podium
Trump and Abe’s low-key Sunday precedes a day of rushed talks on Monday that will cover trade negotiations and North Korea’s unruliness. Trump will meet that afternoon with families of Japanese nationals whose loved ones were kidnapped by the North Korean government.
The U.S. president’s day begins with a state call to Japanese Emperor Akihito.
Tokyo is Trump’s first overseas stop on a 12-day race around the region. The U.S. president left Washington on Friday for Hawaii, which he used as a stopover on his way to Japan.
Trump will travel to South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines before he heads back to the U.S.
Trump and Abe became fast allies during an Oval Office meeting in February shortly after Trump took office. The U.S. president and his wife gave Mr. and Mrs. Abe a lift after that to the Palm Beach club that Trump retains ownership of.
The billionaire president’s guest for the weekend, Abe played a round of golf with Trump at the private resort.
Trump was seen making use of the $3,755 gold golf driver that Abe gifted him when he won the presidency during their Mar-a-Lago excursion.