Japan PM Shinzo Abe, who has announced his resignation over health concerns, gets an effusive farewell message in phone call with Trump, per WH readout. “The greatest prime minister in Japan’s history.” cc: @observingjapan

A few highlights of their relationship: 2017: “But as Abe has lavished attention on Trump, their relationship has retained a subtext in which the U.S. president insists on asserting his dominance in a passive-aggressive manner.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/japanese-leader-shinzo-abe-plays-the-role-of-trumps-loyal-sidekick/2017/11/06/cc23dcae-c2f1-11e7-afe9-4f60b5a6c4a0_story.html">https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/...

2018: What happens when you show up for a high-stakes geopolitical summit — and your host is wearing the same outfit? If you& #39;re Shinzo Abe and your host is President Trump, you do what any respectable fashionista would do: You make a quick change. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2018/04/18/trump-japans-abe-work-on-strengthening-ties-but-also-change-them-after-awkward-coincidence/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post...

2019: In President Trump’s telling, the “very big event” in Japan is something he just can’t miss.
How big? “One hundred times bigger” than the Super Bowl, Trump boasted during a meeting with Abe.
What is happening? Trump hasn’t exactly said. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-trump-a-very-big-event-in-japan-that-he-struggles-to-explain/2019/05/24/5ae84d74-7e2d-11e9-a5b3-34f3edf1351e_story.html?outputType=amp">https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/...

Bonus: The story of how Japanese diplomats rushed to produce a surprise greeting from Pikotaro to Ivanka Trump illustrates the lengths to which Tokyo is courting Trump& #39;s daughter and Jared Kushner, who have taken on an outsize role in foreign affairs. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/04/14/courting-ivanka-how-japanese-diplomats-rushed-to-produce-a-surprise-from-a-tokyo-comedian-for-the-presidents-daughter/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post...