[Cyril Vanier, Cnn International Anchor:] Live from the CNN center here in Atlanta, I'm Cyril Vanier. Thank you for joining us. We are waiting for U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to host a news conference from Akasaka Palace in Tokyo. The two leaders have been meeting the past few hours to discuss trade, military ties, and North Korea. During remarks a short time ago, the president said relations between the U.S. and Japan are the strongest they have ever been and that Washington's relationship with North Korea has come a long way.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] A lot of things are happening, a lot of very positive things are happening on trade. I personally think that lots of good things will come with North Korea. I feel that. I may be right, I may be wrong, but I feel that we've come a long way. There's been no rocket testing, there's been no nuclear testing. There's been very little activity from that standpoint so I think we've come a long way with North Korea. We'll see what happens.
[Vanier:] Even though we do know that there have been recent missile tests, the latest one just earlier this month. And Mr. Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton says those recent tests breached U.N. Security Council resolutions. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has agreed with that statement. Still, he is echoing the president's sentiments about the strong relationship between their two countries.
[Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister, Japan:] I am determined to demonstrate both at home and abroad that there is very strong bond of Japan and U.S. alliance in the new era
[Vanier:] Earlier the president made history as the first world leader to meet with Japan's new emperor. You're watching the pictures there. First Lady Melania Trump accompanied him. This was a few hours ago during a welcome ceremony at Imperial Palace which was filled with plenty of pomp and pageantry. Take a look. CNN's Senior White House Correspondent Pamela Brown joins us from the news conference. She's on the phone. Senior International Correspondent Ivan Watson is also live with us in Tokyo. Ivan, were expected Trump and Abe to speak this hour. As soon as they do we'll be carrying those comments live. Before their meeting, the U.S. President mentioned North Korea and he touted his accomplishment so far. You wanted to give us some perspective on that?
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, yes. I mean, he has clearly made it he's repeating the fact that he is committed to a diplomatic track with North Korea since his two face- to-face summits with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un where there seemed to be some contradictions between not only President Trump's position and Japan and President Trump's position and the public statements just Saturday of his national security advisor John Bolton is when it comes to missile tests on the part of the North Koreans. We just heard from President Trump saying that there have been no rocket tests, no nuclear tests. There was a long pause in intercontinental ballistic missile tests and missile launches, but on May 4th of this month, North Korea carried out a series of tests of what North Korean state media later described as long-range, large- caliber, multiple rockets and ballistic, tactical guided weapons. Then on May 9th, according to the Pentagon, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles. Japan said that these were in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. John Bolton on Saturday said the same, President Trump has downplayed that throughout the weekend saying that those launches did not bother him, and he repeated that again sitting alongside Shinzo Abe the Japanese Prime Minister. Japan is especially sensitive to these missile launches since North Korea has fired multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles over its own territory. And within a matter of hours, President Trump is expected to sit down with the families of Japanese citizens who are believed to have been abducted by North Korea. That is one of the other major issues that Japan is very, very concerned about and that it brings up again and again with it's very close U.S. ally. Cyril?
[Vanier:] Pam, you were in the room where Mr. Trump and Mr. Abe are going to hold a press conference. We believe according to the current schedule that'll be in about 30 minutes. We're keeping an eye out for that. Tell me something um Trump and Abe have now met or spoken more than 40 times. Does that make the Japanese Prime Minister Trump's closest ally in the world stage?
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] It does. Certainly Prime Minister Abe my apologies is President Trump's closest friend on the world stage. And those leaders have touted close relationship as you mentioned. They talked more than 40 times. The Prime Minister was the first foreign leader to come to America to meet with President Trump after the election. The question though is how much of that paid off for Abe because he has put in this extraordinary time and effort of cultivating a relationship with President Trump yet, President Trump still has the steel and aluminum tariffs, and as you were just talking with Ivan, he has downplayed the threat from North Korea. Just yesterday, while we are in Japan, he basically said it wasn't a big deal that North Korea tested those short ranged missiles. So that is really the question for the Prime Minister is whether those effort have played off. It is true though that, so far, he has been able to stave off those auto tariffs. In fact, President Trump said that they would not be working on any
[Vanier:] Yes, Ivan, if I can bring you back in. I mean, that's a very good point that Pam is making. We're seeing Japan roll out the red carpet, we are seeing this very close personal relationship between the two leaders, and yet on the major issues, on the substance with North Korea you told us about, where they're trade, the two countries still don't see eye to eye.
[Watson:] Yes, I mean, there are differences, but the symbolism of this visit and the demonstration we are seeing in the Japanese Prime Minister's words, is that this is to demonstrate at home and abroad the strength of the U.S.-Japanese alliance. So, yes, there are points of contention here, and it is clear that the trade talks are going to be an issue going forward, that the White House was not able to get a bilateral trade deal with Japan ahead of this visit from President Trump. But despite those differences, the common interests and the strength of the relations between two countries, between two governments, and between two leaders are paramount at this time. Let's not forget the fact that Japan has a pacifist constitution. It relies on the U.S. for military defense. There are some 50,000 troops stationed in Japan. President Trump will be visiting a navy base here on Tuesday before he leaves this country. Those are examples of how closely intertwined these two countries are. And it's all the more important when President Trump, though he's committed to diplomacy with the North Korean dictator, it has not been going well. The last summit in Hanoi ended up in his abrupt and early departure. That was back in February. His personal diplomacy with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, while there are constant and repeated statements of respect between the two leaders, there is a raging trade war between these two countries. There may be some point of tension between Washington and Tokyo, but what these two leaders have shown is that whether they're sharing a Japanese dinner here in the Roppongi district of Tokyo or watching sumo or playing golf together, that these are friends that can work together despite differences. Cyril?
[Vanier:] Ivan, you know, I know it's cliche to say that Japan rolled out the red carpet for the U.S. President, but they really, really did. And I want to put a pictures of Donald Trump meeting the Japanese Emperor and perhaps you can speak to the significance of being the first foreign leader to meet the new emperor.
[Watson:] Well, yes, you have a new emperor. He's just ascended from the Chrysanthemum just less than a month ago, a 59-year-old man, after his father abdicated from that role. And he's very first meeting with a foreign head of state is the American President. A number of Japanese experts would say, that would be the case, regardless whichever American president was in the White House, because the U.S. is Japan's most important ally. But clearly, there's a great deal of symbolism here. This is the beginning of what is described as the Reiwa error era rather, beautiful harmony as that is translated. So this is Japan reaffirming its strong bonds with the U.S., its closest and most important ally, a pillar of its defense policy, these leaders of the world's first and third largest economies. So there's a great deal of ceremony here and a demonstration that these two leaders in these two governments are committed to each other. And I think as Pam is mentioned, in one of the areas where there is friction, something that President Trump has been complaining about since the 1980s, and that's the trade surplus that Japan enjoys with the U.S. that the White House made a concession to President Trump's friend Shinzo Abe, they've agreed to postpone some of the negotiations over trade until after Abe gets to hold elections in July for the upper house of the Japanese national assembly, the Parliament the diet here, the legislative body. So that if there are some concessions that Japan has to make, that may hurt the Japanese economy which is already slowing. We've gotten government predictions that the economy is worsening that that may come after this political cycle is completed. So that I see as a concession from President Trump to his friend Shinzo Abe, this leader that he's spoken with some 40 times since his election in 2016.
[Vanier:] Ivan Watson, Pamela Brown, both in Tokyo, thank you very much. And joining me now from Los Angeles, CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein, also again in Tokyo, Jeffrey Kingston, Director of Asian Studies at Temple University, Japan. Ron, I'll start with you. Mr. Trump left Washington a couple days ago. He was embroiled in stories about impeachment, about subpoenas, about his fights with Nancy Pelosi in Congress, about tax returns etcetera, etcetera, the list goes on, Japan has been good for him.
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] You know, it's a common trope in American politics that the presidents who killed himself under siege at home often find comfort abroad. You know, in this case, both of these leaders have a lot invested in the other. I mean, as you've been discussing, Prime Minister Abe has really put a lot into the idea that his personal relationship with President Trump will allow Japan to avoid the kind of fulmination and eruptions and trade confrontations that other American allies have seen notably you know both European, and Mexico, and Canada, and obviously the confrontation with China. And conversely, I think Abe allows Trump to basically refute the idea that he is completely isolated on the international stage. They both have a lot at stake in making this work and we'll see how well that can hold up once they get to the substance of this roughly $55 billion trade deficit.
[Vanier:] Yes, and Paul, earlier, I asked you how Trump was perceived in Japan. I have a slightly different question, how is this visit perceived? I mean, how do Japanese feel this visit is going?
[Jeffrey Kingston, Director Of Asian Studies, Temple University Japan:] Well, I think that Trump has felt the love of the Japanese people. He went to see the sumo yesterday, he got a standing everybody has tried to take pictures. You could just see him basking in than that. He really enjoyed it. So you know, I think the Japanese people, in general, have a fairly low opinion of Trump. He's the least hostile and least popular president ever among the Japanese. But you know, you don't get to choose your president. And Japan needs the United States and so Shinzo Abe is pulling out all the stops to try to make their bromance bloom, and hope that that helps them manage an erratic partner.
[Vanier:] And Jeffrey, and thank you for our name. I misspoke earlier. I apologize for that. Ron, how ultimately what is the White House trying to get out of this visit?
[Brownstein:] Well, look, I mean, I think I think the biggest the biggest thing from any foreign travel for the president is I think is kind of a tightrope. Because on the one hand, his brand is that he is standing up for America in a way that other presidents have not. And conversely I think as this has gone on and as you can see the Democratic argument for 2020 beginning to take shape, he also wants to show that he is not as isolated on the international stage as the Democrats are already portraying and will be portraying. I don't think there is a you know, I don't think there is a lot of as we've said, on the trade side, they're kind of putting those tough questions off until after the Japanese elections in July. So I think what he probably most is hoping for in this trip is no daylight on North Korea which is difficult because obviously, the Japanese are more concerned about these intermediate-range missile launches than the president has tweeted in the last few days.
[Vanier:] Jeffrey, I want to reference back to go back to a point that Pamela Brown was making earlier. This friendship between Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe, raises the question, what does Abe get out of it because Trump hasn't changed anything about his approach to North Korea, his approach to trade, is Abe going to have to make some concessions to maintain this friendship or is he going to be able to leverage that friendship and get some of what he wants?
[Kingston:] I don't think the friendship is going to take him very far, Trump is very transactional, I think that Abe is trying to stave off, you know, a trade war with United States by urging Japan Inc. to boost investments in battleground states, United States, and he is also really amped up the purchases of expensive military systems from the United States. So, I think, this is what he hopes will buy him a little breathing room. But, you know, Trump has said, look, I'm going to cut him some slack, we're not going to go hardball until August, but he also said he has high expectations on
[Vanier:] Yes, absolutely, and our Ivan Watson was pointing that out as well at the beginning of the show, that Mr. Trump, when he touted his accomplishments, said there have been no rocket launches, it was just factually inaccurate, just completing your point there. Ron, I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about one of the President's earlier tweets when he got to Japan, appearing to side with the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, against the former vice president of the United States, Joe Biden.
[Brownstein:] Yes, and we don't even need to put the word, appearing, I think, in there. I think he very unequivocally did, very clearly did, in that tweet. And it's interesting because, you know, it's a classic, kind of, Trump maneuver that you can imagine both sides, wanting to come back to in 2020. You know, on one hand, I think, you know, Trump will try to portray, if Biden is the whoever is the Democratic nominee, certainly Biden's the nominee, portray him as, kind of, over the hill and
[Vanier:] Ron, really quick, do you do you actually think that Kim Jong-un or anybody in North Korea really brought up Joe Biden in the conversation with Donald Trump?
[Brownstein:] You have to wonder, right? You do you do have to wonder. But like I said, I think if Joe Biden is the nominee, he will be as eager to talk about this tweet as Donald Trump is.
[Vanier:] All right, Ron Brownstein, Jeffrey Kingston, thank you so much to both of you for your insights.
[Brownstein:] Thank you.
[Vanier:] Europe's Centrist Party lose some ground, coming up, election results that showed the changing makeup of the European parliament. Stay with us.