TOKYO (THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to visit the United States on Tuesday (April 17). And yes, he will be playing golf with US President Donald Trump.

The golf outing will take place separately from the two leaders' summit meeting.

Mr Abe mentioned the plan to other attendees of a high school reunion held in Tokyo on Saturday evening.

Mr Abe played golf with Mr Trump when he visited the United States in February last year, and they played again during Mr Trump's visit to Japan in November.

When Mr Trump initially invited Mr Abe to go golfing during the upcoming visit, there was caution within the government over accepting the proposal, as the Abe Cabinet faced mounting pressure over such issues as the alteration of official Finance Ministry documents.

However, in light of the many issues confronting both countries, including trade and the situation involving North Korea, it was decided that Mr Abe would benefit from deepening his relationship of trust with Mr Trump through golf diplomacy.