(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said talks with Japan focused on security and a trade deal between the allies are going well ahead of a meeting with U.S. troops stationed in the country, despite differences between the two sides that emerged earlier in the trip.
Trump said on Monday that he sees some sort of trade deal with Japan by August, while Japanese officials said there was no such talk. He and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also varied in their levels of alarm over North Korea missile tests earlier this month, with the Japanese leader calling them a violation of UN resolutions and Trump saying they didn’t bother him.
Trump will tour the Yokosuka naval base south of Tokyo on Tuesday, the largest overseas U.S. naval installation and home to the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier. He will then return to the U.S.
“Meetings with Prime Minister Abe went very well, and getting to spend time with the new Emperor and Empress of Japan was a great honor!,” Trump said in a tweet Tuesday ahead of the base visit, where he will also participate in a Memorial Day event.
Trump, who has chided Japan about its trade surplus with the U.S., has threatened to raise tariffs on the approximately $50 billion worth of cars and auto parts the Asian nation exported to the U.S. annually. He is seeking greater access to the Japanese market for U.S. farmers.
Good Graces
Japan is seeking to stay in Trump’s good graces to avoid costly tariffs and retain positive relations with an ally that ensures its security against neighboring China and North Korea.
Abe has been busy entertaining Trump during the U.S. leader’s four-day state visit, taking him out for golf and to watch a sumo wrestling tournament. Trump on Monday also became the first head of state to meet Japan’s new Emperor Naruhito, who ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1.
Read more: Abe to Charm Trump With Sumo, Warships as Trade Spat Looms
Abe has invited Trump to tour the Japanese naval vessel Kaga during his visit to Yokosuka, with the vessel playing a role in bilateral trade. At 248 meters in length, the Kaga is one of the two largest warships Japan has built since World War II. Originally intended as helicopter carriers, they are to be adapted to accommodate fixed-wing fighter planes when necessary, under a plan approved by Abe’s cabinet last year.
The fighters used are likely to be the F-35B, the short take-off, vertical landing version of Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE:LMT).’s stealth fighter plane. Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya has said the planes won’t be permanently stationed aboard the ship.
Japan is the largest foreign buyer of the stealth fighters, which have also been snapped up by other U.S. allies. The most-recently purchased fighters will cost Japan 15.3 billion yen ($137 million) each, according to the country’s current budget.
Earlier: Parts of Crashed Japan F-35A Fighter Likely Found at Sea
Japan’s government has said it plans to buy as many as 147 of Lockheed’s F-35s. In March, the Air Self-Defense Force reached its first operational squadron, the U.S. Defense Department said.
