The Latest: Trump, in Japan, needles US ally over trade

U.S. President Donald Trump, center left, greets SoftBank Group Corp.'s Chief Executive Masayoshi Son, center right, as first lady Melania Trump, left, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty looks on during his meeting with business leaders, in Tokyo, Saturday, May 25, 2019. President Trump is on a four-day state visit in Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)

U.S. President Donald Trump, center left, greets SoftBank Group Corp.'s Chief Executive Masayoshi Son, center right, as first lady Melania Trump, left, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty looks on during his meeting with business leaders, in Tokyo, Saturday, May 25, 2019. President Trump is on a four-day state visit in Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s state visit to Japan. (all times local):

12:30 a.m. Sunday

President Donald Trump has begun a state visit to Japan by needling the American ally over its trade imbalance with the United States.

He jokingly tells business leaders at a reception in Tokyo: “Maybe that’s why you like me so much.”

Trump also is promoting the U.S. under his leadership. He says “there’s never been a better time” to invest or do business in America, and he urges corporate leaders to come.

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7 p.m.

What stands nearly 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and weighs between 60 and 70 pounds (27 and 32 kilograms)?

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It’s the much-ballyhooed trophy that President Donald Trump plans to present to the winner of a championship sumo wrestling match in Tokyo on Sunday.

The White House says the “President’s Cup” is about 54 inches (137 centimeters) tall and weighs 60-70 pounds (27-32 kilograms).

Trump arrived in Japan on Saturday on a state visit as the guest of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is taking Trump to the sumo match on Sunday.

The president has said that he finds sumo to be “fascinating” and that the trophy will be U.S.-made.

Trump will also meet Japan’s new emperor on Monday, becoming the first head of state to do so.

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6:35 p.m.

President Donald Trump is needling Japan over the U.S.-Japan trade imbalance as he kicks off a state visit to the country.

Trump is speaking at a reception with Japanese and American business leaders at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Tokyo after arriving in the country.

He says the U.S. and Japan “are hard at work” negotiating a bilateral trade agreement, but is pointing to the gap.

He says: “I would say that Japan has had a substantial edge for many, many years, but that’s OK ... maybe that’s why you like us so much.”

Trump is also making a pitch to the business leaders to invest more in the U.S.

And he says the relationship between the two countries has never been better.

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5:55 p.m.

President Donald Trump is heading to a dinner with business leaders at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Tokyo after a brief airport welcome.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump were greeted by Japan’s minister of foreign affairs, the U.S. ambassador to Japan and other officials Saturday at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

Trump was busy tweeting as Air Force One neared Japan for the four-day visit.

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He declared the dawn of a new “Age of Enlightenment” as he talked up his escalating trade dispute with China.

He said that: “The real trade war began 30 years ago, and we lost. This is a bright new Age, the Age of Enlightenment. We don’t lose anymore!”

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5 p.m.

President Donald Trump has arrived in Japan for a state visit that will make him the first world leader to meet the country’s new emperor.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived aboard Air Force One after a 14-hour journey.

The visit is part of a continuing charm offensive by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that analysts say has spared Japan from far more debilitating retaliatory action by Trump.

The president has refused to lift the threat of slapping potentially devastating U.S. tariffs on imports of Japanese autos and auto parts on national security grounds.

U.S. tariffs against Japanese aluminum and steel remain.

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4:45 p.m.

A relatively strong earthquake rattled Tokyo just before President Donald Trump’s arrival Saturday but there was no danger of a tsunami.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency said the quake, registering magnitude 5.1, struck in Chiba, just south of Tokyo, at 3:20 p.m., about 40 kilometers (24 miles) underground. Trump was to arrive two hours later.

The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami from the inland quake.

The earthquake rattled dozens of cities, including Tokyo, where many reporters who arrived before the president’s visit felt the movement.

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1:30 p.m.

Japan is ready to roll out the newest phase of its charm offensive targeting President Donald Trump as it welcomes him on a state visit tailor-made to his whims and ego. This comes as Japan remains under the threat of potentially devastating U.S. tariffs on autos

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is offering high honors, golf and the chance to present a “Trump Cup” at a sumo wrestling championship. Abe, arguably Trump’s closest friend on the world stage, will continue a yearslong campaign that so far appears to have spared Japan from far more debilitating U.S. actions.

The stakes are high. U.S. tariffs could cripple Japan’s auto industry, while North Korea remains a destabilizing threat in the region.