Obama welcomes Abe to White House with high ceremony
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US President Barack Obama welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with full pomp and ceremony on a bright, dewy Tuesday morning at the White House, calling the state visit a "celebration of the ties of friendship" and praising the alliance the two nations have built over time.
Military honors and a gun salute greeted the Japanese leader in a South lawn arrival ceremony. Trade and security issues topped the agenda for his meeting with Obama. The day will be capped by a State Dinner with about 300 guests.
"Prime Minister Abe is leading Japan to a new role in the world stage," Obama said.
Abe, speaking in Japanese, said he and Obama have been working to strengthen the US-Japan alliance since they met two years ago.
"Now our bilateral relationship is more robust than ever," he said.
The two leaders will huddle in the Oval Office and also hold a joint news conference.
