Japan Has Big Plans for a U.S. Summit. But Trump Just Wants to Talk Cars and Military Costs

Few foreign leaders have tried as hard as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to establish some personal rapport with President Donald Trump.

But as the two meet again at the White House and at Trump’s golf course outside Washington, the chances of reaching even a modest agreement to ease trade tensions between the two allies rest almost entirely with Trump, according to three U.S. officials involved in preparing for the summit.

Few foreign leaders have tried as hard as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to establish some personal rapport with President Donald Trump. But as the two meet again at the White House and at Trump’s golf course outside Washington, the chances of reaching even a modest agreement to ease trade tensions between the two allies rest almost entirely with Trump, according to three U.S. officials involved in preparing for the summit.