Trump meets Japan’s new emperor in lavish welcome ceremony

President Trump became the first foreign leader to meet with Japan’s new emperor at a ceremony in Tokyo on Monday morning. 

Trump met Emperor Naruhito at a ceremony full of pageantry at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. It is part of a lavish state visit to Japan by Trump that has also featured a visit to a sumo wrestling match on Sunday.

{mosads}Trump is set to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later on Monday and will also attend a state banquet with the emperor later in the evening.

A military band and dozens of children waving American and Japanese flags were a part of the ceremony, which was also attended by first lady Melania Trump and several White House aides, including press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and national security adviser John Bolton.

The display sent a signal of deep unity between the United States and Japan amid Trump’s trade war with China, the rising economic power in the region. Trump this month raised tariffs on China after a failure to reach a trade agreement with Beijing.

North Korea is expected to be a subject of discussion when Trump meets with Abe.

The ceremony follows a tweet from Trump over the weekend in which the president said he “smiled” at North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un’s characterization of former Vice President Joe Biden as “low IQ” and said he “ha[s] confidence” in Kim’s commitment to his promise to Trump despite a North Korean missile test earlier this month, which Bolton on Saturday called a violation of United Nations resolutions.

Trump’s tweet contradicted Bolton’s remarks.

“U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from firing any ballistic missiles,” Bolton told reporters in Tokyo, according to The Associated Press. “In terms of violating U.N. Security Council resolutions, there is no doubt about that.”

Trump also has come under criticism for agreeing with Kim’s criticism of Biden.

Trump has met twice with Kim, a dictator previous presidents had not agreed to meet.