Trump on Sunday awarded a giant, eagle-topped “President's Cup” to wrestler Asanoyama, a 25-year-old athlete who clinched a tournament win a day earlier.
The president -- the first American to participate in the tournament -- then congratulated Asanoyama on his “outstanding achievement.”
President Trump presents the "President's Cup" to the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament winner Asanoyama, at Ryogoku Kokugikan Stadium, on Sunday, in Tokyo. (Associated Press)
Then, with a little help, Trump handed the heavy cup to the champ. The White House said the 54-inch-high trophy weighs 60 to 70 pounds.
Asanoyama, whose real name is Hiroki Ishibashi, weighs 390 pounds, according to the Associated Press.
Earlier, Trump sat ringside and watched some wrestling action, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie – along with a crowd of about 11,500 wrestling fans.
President Trump attends the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Ryogoku Kokugikan Stadium, on Sunday, in Tokyo. First lady Melania Trump is at top right. (Associated Press)
The size of the crowd was half the normal capacity, as part of security preparations for Trump’s visit, and spectators went through security checks, the Associated Press reported.
The president is in Japan on a four-day visit that will include meeting Japan’s new emperor and discussing trade issues with the Asian nation’s leaders.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at right, played a round of golf on Sunday morning before lunching on cheeseburgers.
Photo:
Pool/Getty Images
TOKYO—President Trump began his four-day visit to Japan on a provocative note.
Just moments before departing his Tokyo hotel for a round of golf with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the president wrote on Twitter that he is not bothered by North Korea’s recent missile tests.
“North Korea fired off some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me,” he wrote early Sunday. “I have confidence that Chairman Kim will keep his promise to me, & also smiled when he called Swampman Joe Biden a low IQ individual, & worse. Perhaps that’s sending me a signal?” The president was referring to a commentary on North Korean state media that called Mr. Biden, among other things, “a fool of low IQ.”
The tweet, which contradicted comments made a day earlier by Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, and sided with a dictator over his Democratic rival, a former U.S. vice president, was also bound to agitate his host nation. Japan has condemned Kim Jong Un’s nuclear pursuits and has warned of North Korea’s pattern of reneging on its promises to abandon its nuclear program.
On Monday, Messrs. Trump and Abe and their delegations are expected to hold talks on a range of issues, from trade to national security. The meetings come as part of the president’s visit to meet Japan’s newly enthroned Emperor Naruhito, whose wife, Empress Masako, is a Harvard-educated former trade negotiator.
On trade, Mr. Trump temporarily diffused tensions by delaying a decision on whether to impose new tariffs on imported cars and auto parts for six months—a decision on which Japan has much at stake.
The Trump administration has said the quantity of auto imports is so great “as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States.” Mr. Trump faces broad opposition from foreign allies, the auto industry and even lawmakers within his own Republican Party over the possible tariffs, as well as legal challenges to his use of the national-security law known as Section 232 to impose them.
“Trade remains the wild card in the U.S.-Japan relationship,” said Wendy Cutler, a former negotiator with the office of the U.S. Trade Representative who worked on U.S.-Japan trade talks and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, from which Mr. Trump withdrew the U.S. in 2017.
“With the 232 auto announcement, I suspect that Japan is disappointed because the threat of this action is going to continue to hover over negotiations,” she added. “Japan considers itself a close ally to the United States and finds use of section 232 to be inappropriate.”
Following his golf game with Mr. Abe and professional golfer Isao Aoki, Mr. Trump said on Twitter that he plans to wait until after elections for Japan’s upper house of Parliament, likely in July, before pushing hard for a deal.
“Great progress being made in our Trade Negotiations with Japan,” the president said. “Agriculture and beef heavily in play. Much will wait until after their July elections where I anticipate big numbers!”
The menu for a post-golf lunch that Mr. Abe shared with Mr. Trump included double cheeseburgers with U.S. beef, the Japanese foreign ministry said.
The U.S. has sought to lower tariffs on products such as pork and beef. Japan granted tariff breaks to the European Union and countries in the 11-nation TPP under recently implemented trade deals—but not to the U.S., since Mr. Trump withdrew it from the pact.
On Saturday, shortly after arriving in Tokyo, Mr. Trump told a gathering of business leaders that the U.S. and Japan “are hard at work negotiating a bilateral trade agreement.”
“We hope to address the trade imbalance, remove barriers to United States exports, and ensure fairness and reciprocity in our relationship,” he added. “And we’re getting closer.”
Japan says the country has no barriers to U.S. auto imports, which don’t face tariffs, and says Washington hasn’t explained what concessions it wants on autos.
While Japan agrees with many aspects of Mr. Trump’s recent crackdown on Chinese trade practices, executives in Tokyo fear that the U.S.-China trade dispute could bear domestic implications.
The Japanese economy unexpectedly grew in the first quarter of 2019 supported by government spending, but there were some worrying signs connected to the U.S.-China trade dispute.
The U.S. has been forced to take protective measures of its own, including a $16 billion aid program, rolled out last week, to help farmers hit by the trade conflict with China
LONDON — Boris Johnson is one of the most divisive political figures in the United Kingdom.
He is also favorite among bookmakers and pollsters to become the next leader of the Conservative Party — and therefore the next prime minister — after Theresa May announced Friday that she would be stepping down June 7.
But who is this mop-haired eccentric, viewed by many as an inspiring political entertainer and by others as a dangerous populist?
May leaves a Conservative Party in open revolt. Johnson, a celebrity lawmaker who spearheaded the Brexit vote, is hoping to win over the rebels, finally make Brexit happen and be the leader to put the party back together.
But he's far from a consensus candidate. Thirty two percent of people have a positive opinion about him, according to the pollster YouGov, the highest of any politician in the country. But far more, 46 percent, hold a negative view.
"He has a polarizing effect," said Scott Lucas, a professor of politics and American studies at England's University of Birmingham. "He's probably the most liked politician but also one of the most disliked as well."
Former London Mayor Boris Johnson dangles from a zipwire in London's Victoria Park on Aug. 1, 2012 in London, England.Rebecca Denton / Getty Images file
Critics accuse Johnson of being an arch opportunist. In the past, he has argued for tax cuts and against rises in welfare spending, and in the House of Commons he has voted generally in favor of equal gay rights, according to They Work For You, a website that tracks lawmakers' decisions.
However, there are still big questions about what his government would actually look like, including its relationship with the United States.
In 2015, when President Donald Trump said parts of London had been "radicalized," American-born Johnson, who was the city's mayor at the time, replied that the president's "ill-informed comments are complete and utter nonsense."
He added, "Crime has been falling steadily in both London and New York. And the only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump."
Fast forward to last year, and the two were exchanging pleasantries, with Johnson saying there were many reasons for "admiring Trump" and the president declaring Johnson is "a friend of mine" and backing him to be the next prime minister.
There were also reports he had been talking privately with Trump's former senior adviser, Steve Bannon.
Johnson will face competition for leader. Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, and Esther McVey, the former work and pensions secretary, are among those to have confirmed they will run.
In the United Kingdom, choosing a new prime minister does not necessarily require a general election. If the leader of the largest party changes between elections, that person usually becomes the new prime minister automatically.
This happened when Cameron resigned in 2016 and May succeeded him unopposed.
London Mayor Boris Johnson laughs in action during the Rally Against Cancer charity match on day seven of the AEGON Championships at Queens Club on June 16, 2013 in London, England.Clive Brunskill / Getty Images file
Johnson would likely face a sterner test, with perhaps more than a dozen potential hopefuls lining up against him. Conservative lawmakers would winnow down this long list to a runoff of two, and the winner would be chosen by the 124,000-odd party members.
In any potential matchup, Johnson is the members' favorite "by huge margins," according to a YouGov poll earlier this month. But whoever wins will inherit a Conservative Party in disarray.
Its lawmakers are engaged in a civil war over Brexit and the party was polling as low as 7 percent ahead of European Parliament elections which took place in the U.K. on Thursday.
Even those who dislike Johnson's disheveled style may see him as their best chance of defeating populists on both the left and right, such as Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage.
Johnson — full name Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson — is among that rare club of politicians instantly recognizable by one name only — "Boris."
Born in New York's Upper East Side, he held U.S. citizenship until 2006. He was educated at Eton — Britain's most prestigious private school — and Oxford University, before starting a career in journalism in the 1980s.
But he was soon fired by The Times of London for making up a quote. He later joined the Daily Telegraph as a Brussels correspondent, which still pays him £275,000 per year on top of his lawmaker's salary for a weekly opinion column.
Johnson is known for causing outrage with quips and turns of phrase that have been described as racist. In 2016, he called President Barack Obama "part-Kenyan" and suggested he had an "ancestral dislike of the British empire."
In 2002, he said that Queen Elizabeth II probably enjoyed touring the Commonwealth because of the "cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies." He wrote that Tony Blair, then prime minister, would be met with "watermelon smiles" when he toured the Congo. He has also described Muslim women wearing the burqa as "letter boxes."
In 2008, he was elected mayor of London and he served for eight years. He announced himself to the world in August that year, waving a giant flag at the Beijing Olympics to promote London's hosting of the Games four years later.
Never shy of a photo opportunity, during the London 2012 Olympics, Johnson was pictured dangling helplessly from a zipwire waving a Union Jack flag. "This is great fun but it needs to go faster," he told the assembled reporters.
British Conservative Party politician Boris Johnson gives a speech during a fringe event on the sidelines of the third day of the Conservative Party Conference 2018 at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, on Oct. 2, 2018.Paul Ellis / AFP - Getty Images
In 2016 he lent that star power to the Brexit campaign, electrifying the referendum with his crowd-drawing speeches and barnstorming rhetoric about Brexit being "our independence day."
"He isn't a typical British politician," Lucas at the University of Birmingham said. "He has always played up the idea that he is this really smart guy, but also a bit of a bumbler."
Brexit has left Johnson particularly reviled by pro-E.U. "Remainers," not least because of his campaign's discredited mantra that Britain sends £350 million to the E.U. each week.
His Brexit victory forced the resignation of his old friend, the then Prime Minister David Cameron, who backed the opposing, pro-E.U. side in 2016.
Johnson launched a leadership bid then — but withdrew after his ally Michael Gove unexpectedly announced he would run against him.
But last week, even before May had announced her departure, Johnson confirmed he would be running to replace her.
"I'm going to go for it,” he said. “Of course I'm going to go for it."
Alexander Smith
Alexander Smith is a London-based senior reporter for NBC News Digital.
A British man has died on Mount Everest amid fears of overcrowding, as a record number of people attempt to climb the tallest mountain in the world.
Robin Fisher, 44, made it to the summit Saturday morning, but collapsed after 150 meters on the trek down. His Sherpa attempted to wake him up to change his oxygen and give him water, but was unsuccessful.
“Our guides tried to help but he died soon after,” Murari Sharma of Everest Parivar Expedition told the BBC.
A line of climbers attempt to stand at the summit of Mount Everest. A British climber, Robin Haynes died on the mountain on Saturday.
(Mt Everest Project Possible Getty)
The high level of traffic on the mountain can be seen in the photo above, which shows climbers waiting in an area 26,200 feet above sea level, called "the Death Zone." Nepal's tourism ministry has issued a record number of permits to 381 climbers this season, one reason for the overcrowding.
“I have climbed Everest so many times, but this spring’s traffic jam was the worst,” said Tshering Jangbu Sherpa, a guide who climbed the mountain on May 22. “Many climbers who moved to the summit without extra supplement oxygen bottles suffered the most. They suffered because of the traffic jam, not because of wind and coldness.”
Fisher is one of 10 people who died over the past few weeks of the spring climbing season. Other deaths include four Indian climbers, a man from Utah, a Nepalese guide, one Austrian and one Irishman.
Officials believe a second Irishman died after falling on the mountain last week. His family said in a statement that the search for his body had been called off
600 people reached the summit on the Nepal side of the mountain as of May 24, according to a government official. Peak climbing conditions in April and May have also been a factor in overcrowding, said Danduraj Ghimire, director general of Nepal's tourism department, who rejects claims that overcrowding has made the climb more dangerous.
“It’s not because of traffic jam,” Ghimire said. “The number of climbers was a bit high this year, and most climbers wanted to climb within a short weather window.”
The death count for the 2019 climbing season is at 17, according to the New York Times, making it the worst in decades after accounting for disasters like avalanches and earthquakes.
Fisher was one of those dreamers, and his family says he previously climbed Mont Blanc and Aconcagua and had "lived life to the full(est)."
"He was a 'tough guy', triathlete, and marathoner. A champion for vegetarianism, published author, and a cultured theatre-goer, lover of Shakespeare," his family said.
His girlfriend, Kristyn Carriere, traveled with him to Everest base camp but left to climb with another group when he made his trip.
On Facebook she posted, "He got his goal. My heart is broken. It was his ultimate challenge."
US President Donald Trump urged Japanese business leaders on Saturday to increase their investment in the United States while he chided Japan for having a "substantial edge" on trade that negotiators were trying to even out in a bilateral deal.
Trump arrived in Japan on Saturday for a largely ceremonial state visit meant to showcase strong ties despite simmering trade tensions.
Japan's trade minister said no trade agreement is expected during the Trump visit.
Shortly after arriving to a red-carpet welcome at the airport, Trump attended a reception at the residence of US Ambassador William Hagerty that the White House said included Japanese business executives from Toyota, Nissan, Honda, SoftBank and Rakuten.
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Trump told the company officials "there's never been a better time" to invest or do business in the US and repeated a complaint that the Federal Reserve's policies had kept the country's economic growth from reaching its full potential.
Trump said the US and Japan "are hard at work" negotiating and said he wanted a deal to address the trade imbalance between the two countries.
"Japan has had a substantial edge for many, many years, but that's OK, maybe that's why you like us so much," he said.
"With this deal we hope to address the trade imbalance, removing barriers to United States exports and ensure fairness and reciprocity in our relationship," Trump said.
Trade is one of Trump's signature issues, and encouraging foreign investment in the US is a hallmark of his trips abroad.
Trump will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - who planned the largely ceremonial four-day visit - on Sunday.
Tariffs on car industry
It is part of Abe's charm strategy that some analysts say has so far spared Japan from the full weight of Trump's trade wrath.
The two leaders planned to play golf on Sunday before Abe gives Trump the chance to present his "President's Cup" trophy to the winner of a sumo wrestling championship match.
The president will become the first head of state to be received by new Japanese Emperor Naruhito since he ascended the throne earlier this month; he and Harvard-educated Empress Masako will host an elaborate dinner for the Trumps on Monday night.
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Abe and Trump are likely to meet for the third time in three months when Trump returns to Japan in late June for the Group of Twenty Summit of leading rich and developing nations.
Behind the smiles and personal friendship, however, there is deep uneasiness over Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Japanese cars and car parts on national security grounds. Such a move would be more devastating to the Japanese economy than earlier tariffs on steel and aluminium.
The US president recently agreed to a six-month delay, enough time to carry Abe past July's Japanese parliamentary elections.
Trump had predicted that a US-Japan trade deal could be finalised during his trip, but Japanese Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Saturday a deal is not expected after meeting his counterpart, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, in Tokyo.
"We deepened our understanding of each other's positions on trade. However, we're not in complete agreement," Motegi told reporters following the talks. "There are still some gaps. We need to work to narrow our differences."
North Korea's nuclear programme
Also at issue is the lingering threat of North Korea, which has resumed missile testing and recently fired a series of short-range missiles that US officials, including Trump, have tried to play down despite an agreement by the North to hold off on further testing.
Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, told reporters on Saturday before Trump arrived that the short-range missile tests were a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and that sanctions must stay in place.
Bolton said Trump and Abe would "talk about making sure the integrity of the Security Council resolutions are maintained".
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It marked a change in tone from the view expressed by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a recent television interview.
He said: "The moratorium was focused, very focused, on intercontinental missile systems, the ones that threaten the United States." That raised alarm bells in Japan, where short-range missiles pose a serious threat.
Bolton commented a day after North Korea's official media said nuclear negotiations with Washington would not resume unless the US abandoned what the North described as demands for unilateral disarmament.
The epicenter of the magnitude 5 earthquake was in Chiba, around 48 miles east of Tokyo, according to the country’s metrological agency.
Chiba is close to where Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are scheduled to play golf on Sunday.
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The quake could be felt in Tokyo and caused buildings to shake, according to local media, but there is reportedly no visible damage and no threat of a tsunami.
