Japan welcomes Trump with a charm campaign, golf and sumo

FILE - In this April 26, 2019, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, speaks while meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Trump’s Japan visit starting on Saturday, May 25, 2019, is to focus on personal ties with Abe rather than substantive results on trade, security or North Korea. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

President Donald Trump walks to Air Force One after meeting troops at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for a refueling stop en route to Japan for a four-day state visit, Friday, May 24, 2019, in Anchorage. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

TOKYO – Japan is ready to roll out the newest phase of its charm offensive targeting President Donald Trump as it welcomes him on a state visit tailor-made to his whims and ego. This comes as Japan remains under the threat of potentially devastating U.S. tariffs on autos

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is offering high honors, golf and the chance to present a "Trump Cup" at a sumo wrestling championship. Abe, arguably Trump's closest friend on the world stage, will continue a years-long campaign that so far appears to have spared Japan from far more debilitating U.S. actions.

The stakes are high. U.S. tariffs could cripple Japan's auto industry, while North Korea remains a destabilizing threat in the region.