Trump, Abe to bond over Melania's birthday, emperor's ascension

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania will be the first foreign state guests to meet the new emperor of Japan in May. After Emperor Naruhito takes to the throne on May 1, Donald Trump and Melania will visit Japan from May 25 to 28. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has extended an invitation to the Trumps. Naruhito's 85-year-old father, Emperor Akihito, is ending his three-decade reign on April 30 by abdicating.

Abe is scheduled to meet the Trumps in Washington soon. While on the visit, an informal dinner has been planned with Abe, his wife, Trump and Melania to celebrate the first lady's birthday on April 26 and extend a formal invitation. It seems like Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is using every opportunity, to court President Trump.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said receiving Trump as the first state guest of the new imperial era would “symbolise the unshakable bond of the Japan-US alliance”.

“I'm not sure what other choices this administration, or any Japanese administration, has except to try to build the best relationship possible with Washington through face-to-face interaction,” said Stephen Nagy, a politics and international studies professor at International Christian University in Tokyo. “I think Mr. Trump being the first to meet the emperor is a good example of that,” she added.

“Inviting Trump in May to meet the new emperor would be a perfect chance for Abe to show how much he cares about Trump, while also showing their relationship off to the world,” said Hiro Aida, professor of global studies at Aoyama Gakuin University and an expert on Japan-US relations. He also added that Abe's jumping at the opportunity of the emperor's succession to further ties with US could be seen as a weakness as Trump had come down hard on trade issues, demanding that Japan do more to reduce the countries' trade imbalance.

Strained relations between Japan and two of its closest neighbours, South Korea and China, over their war history and territorial disputes, could be prompting Abe to make these moves. By sending the message that he can decide whom the emperor meets, Abe may also be demonstrating his political power.

Abe was also the first foreign leader to meet Trump after his election in November 2016, not even waiting until he officially took office as is normal diplomatic practice.

During Abe's visit to the US, the two leaders are most likely to talk about North Korean nuclear disarmament, trade and other related issues.