Why Shinzo Abe needs Donald Trump to stay on-message during this week’s landmark visit

US President Donald Trump will play a round of golf with his Japanese counterpart and be serenaded with the Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen nonsense song during his two-day visit to Japan beginning November 5. Once the frivolity is done and dusted, however, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hope the president sticks to the script on issues of critical importance to Tokyo.

In terms of security considerations in northeast Asia, North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes will top the agenda, while there will also be a gentler nod in China’s direction. Trade in the aftermath of Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership within days of taking office will also feature, while talks have already taken place over cooperation on next-generation mobile communications and other advanced technologies.

For Abe, the visit provides him an opportunity to reinforce the message that Japan remains a close and committed ally of the US and that he has a personal rapport with Trump.

Abe, after all, was one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate Trump after his shock election victory in November last year, describing Japan and the US as “unwavering allies”.

Within a week of the election, Abe had travelled to New York – bearing a US$3,755 gold-plated golf club as a gift – for talks with Trump and his transition team. The Japanese leader made much at the time of the fact he was the first overseas leader to meet the president-elect face-to-face and that he used the meeting to underline the importance of security and trade issues.

Almost exactly one year later, the situation for the US president is somewhat more precarious and Abe will be hopeful the problems he faces in Washington – primarily the investigations into allegations of Russian influence on the election – do not follow him to Japan.