Sumo and golf assuage Trump and Abe’s trade beef
The US president and his Japanese counterpart tuck into cheeseburgers with American beef as they hold tough trade talks behind the scenes
Tokyo — US President Donald Trump on Sunday played golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and presented a trophy to the winner of a sumo tournament, turning to personal diplomacy for the second day of a Japan visit shadowed by tough trade talk. Trump is unhappy with Japan’s large trade surplus and is considering putting high tariffs on its auto exports if a bilateral trade agreement is not reached. The US and China are also engaged in an expensive trade war that has pounded financial markets worldwide. But it was all smiles on Sunday as the two leaders played golf and later, with wives Melania and Akie, watched sumo wrestlers grapple on the final day of a 15-day tournament won by rising Japanese star Asanoyama. Trump, the first US president to watch sumo in the sport’s homeland, waved to the audience as he entered the hallowed Kokugikan and then saluted them with applause as they waved and raised their phones to take photos. Arriving just in time for Asanoyama’s bout, Trump n...
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