For Abe, a Chance to Take Washington's Temperature

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is bent on proving that Washington and Tokyo are better together. He will get a chance to advance that goal on Feb. 10, when he arrives in Washington for the first leg of a two-day summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. The following day, the two leaders will travel to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for continued discussions on a range of issues related to U.S.-Japanese economic and defense ties. For Abe, the summit is an opportunity to gauge the Trump administration's position and level of conviction on issues including Tokyo's currency policies, the U.S.-Japanese trade balance and Trump's call for a border tax on imports of Japanese products manufactured partially in Mexico or elsewhere outside the United States. Just as important, it is an opportunity for Japan's leaders to further court the administration with promises of investment into U.S. infrastructure and manufacturing — and thereby to temper some of Trump's criticisms of Tokyo and ensure continued U.S. support for Japan's economic and strategic interests in Asia.