For Japan, the aim is to underscore the rock-solid nature of the relationship and receive clear assurances of the countries’ shared military alliance, while attempting to establish a personal connection between the golf-obsessed Trump and model train enthusiast Ishiba.

IN HIGH SCHOOL, Ishiba Shigeru joined the golf club. But he abandoned the sport after entering politics. The elitist hobby did not suit his image as a man of the people from rural Tottori, in Japan’s west (never mind that,

When Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, his goal, according to Japanese officials, will be straightforward: reaffirm the U.S.-Japan alliance and build a strong rapport with Trump.