After a Japan-US summit meeting in Washington D.C., Japan’s prime minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed his intention to invest $1 trillion into the United States — an “unprecedented” level, according to the PM.

Days after Donald Trump's 2016 election victory, Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe rushed to deliver him a gold-plated golf club, becoming the first leader to visit and setting the tone for a relationship both men said was close.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed optimism on Sunday that his country could avoid higher U.S. tariffs, saying President Donald Trump had "recognised" Japan's huge investment in the U.S.