President Trump and first lady Melania welcomed Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie, to Mar-a-Lago, the president’s south Florida estate, over the February 10–11 weekend.

During the visit, the two leaders emphasized the importance of the relationship between the U.S. and Japan. “The bond between our two nations, and the friendship between our two peoples, runs very, very deep,” Trump said at the White House on February 10 before they flew together from Washington to Florida on Air Force One, the plane reserved for the president.

 

President Donald Trump meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Feb. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“This administration is committed to bringing those ties even closer. We are committed to the security of Japan and all areas under its administrative control, and to further strengthening our very crucial alliance,” Trump said.

Abe said, “The cornerstone of peace and prosperity in Asia Pacific, that is the strong Japan-U.S. alliance. And this is unwavering ties between our two countries. I and President Trump will work together to further strengthen our alliance. We have shared this strong resolve.”

Trump and Abe first met in New York City in November 2016; this was Abe’s first official visit to the United States with Trump as president.

 

I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent.

 

The two also discussed improving trade between the U.S. and Japan and future Japanese investment in the U.S. Abe highlighted Japan’s high-speed train technology as something that could improve American infrastructure.

These talks build on recent engagement between the U.S. and Japan. Both countries have acknowledged the devastation caused during World War II, and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis made a point of visiting Japan on his first trip abroad.

Visiting Mar-a-Lago

Abe is the second foreign dignitary to visit Trump since the president was sworn in on January 20, but he is the first to be hosted by the Trumps at the “winter White House,” Mar-a-Lago, in Florida.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie Abe, right, walk down the steps of Air Force One at West Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. The Trumps are hosting the Abes at their Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach for the weekend. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie Abe, right, walk down the steps of Air Force One at West Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach,  Feb. 10, 2017.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Trump and Abe took the day of February 11 to play golf at one of Trump’s courses in south Florida.

The first ladies meanwhile toured the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, a cultural site founded by Japanese farmers in the early 20th century.

Akie Abe, wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and first lady Melania Trump tour Morikami Meseum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Akie Abe, wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and first lady Melania Trump tour Morikami Meseum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Fla., on  Feb. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Abe and his wife returned to Japan on February 12.