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Donald Trump was gifted a putter used by late Japanese leader - and the president's golf buddy - Shinzo Abe on his visit to Tokyo.
Trump is in Japan to meet the country's first female leader Sanae Takaichi. The president lavished praise on her and signed deals on trade and rare earths.
Trump was also showered with gifts during their first meeting Tuesday. They included a gold-leaf golf ball and a bag signed by Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama, who won the Masters in 2021.
'Oh that's beautiful, thank you very much,' Trump said.
But perhaps the most poignant gift was the putter, which was displayed in a glass case and shown to Trump by Takaichi, a protegee of the late leader.
Trump and Abe formed a close bond during the president's first term, with their relationship blossoming over several rounds of golf in the US and Japan.
President Donald Trump is in Japan to meet the country's first female leader Sanae Takaichi
Trump and Shinzo Abe formed a close bond, playing golf together in both the US and Japan
Abe, who was assassinated by a lone gunman in 2022, became the first foreign leader to meet Trump after his 2016 victory.
'Did he play with it?' the president asked when shown the putter. 'Yes,' he was told. 'Such a wonderful man,' Trump responded. 'Such a wonderful man.'
The club was just one of a litany of references to Trump's bond with Abe that underpinned ties between the countries during his first term.
'He was a great friend of mine and a great friend of yours,' Trump said to Takaichi as the pair shook hands.
At the start of summit talks with Trump after a lavish honor guard welcome, Takaichi first thanked him for his 'enduring friendship' with Abe and for hosting his widow Akie Abe at his Mar-a-Lago retreat shortly after Trump's election victory last year.
Takaichi and Trump also signed a pair of baseball caps emblazoned with 'JAPAN IS BACK', a catchphrase first used by Abe that Takaichi adopted in her leadership campaign.
