President Trump tones down the rhetoric on tour of Asia
After a day playing golf, North Korea is at the top of the agenda - with Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe presenting a united front.
Monday 6 November 2017 13:05, UK
After being briefed about the Texas mass shooting in the early hours of the morning, President Trump's tour of Asia is continuing as planned.
He spoke to the state's governor by phone - offering his thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.
And host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said his country stood in heartfelt solidarity with the US.
On Monday, the two men followed the official programme of events - taking part in a formal welcome ceremony at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo.
They strolled through the grounds, feeding the palace koi carp along the way.
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Although their friendship is still front and centre, there are differences on trade.
As he spoke to an audience of business leaders - or the "rock stars of business" as he put it - Mr Trump returned to an old campaign theme, telling them that Japan had been "winning" for decades.
He asked whether they could try building cars in the US instead of shipping them over from Japan - and said the US-Japan trading relationship was neither "fair and open" nor "free and reciprocal".
Emerging from his talks with Mr Abe in the afternoon, Mr Trump announced they had made "tremendous progress".
He offered few specifics though - focusing instead on their close personal relationship as they referred to each other as "Donald" and "Shinzo" - and stressing their unity on North Korea, which has fired two missiles over Japan in recent months.
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Mr Trump described the launches as a "threat to the civilised world, and to international peace and stability," repeating his assertion that the "era of stratetgic patience is over" and lambasting the "very weak rhetoric over the last 25 years".
Prime Minister Abe said he agreed with the President's approach 100%.
"Now is not the time for dialogue," Mr Abe said, calling instead for maximum pressure, and announcing plans for new unilateral sanctions targeting 35 entities and individuals. "There is no point in dialogue for the sake of dialogue."
The two men also met some of the families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s, vowing to push for their return.
After describing the North Koreans as "great people" and saying that he hoped it worked out, Mr Trump then appeared to offer the first hint of an opening to Kim Jong Un (KJU).
He urged him to release the abductees.
In front of cameras he said: "Perhaps the regime itself would send them back. I think it would be a tremendous signal if KJU would send them back.
"If he would send them back that would be the start of something I think very special if they would do that."
There were none of the usual taunts of "rocket man". Thus far in Asia we've seen a more restrained Donald Trump, his rhetoric markedly toned down now that he's actually in the region.
The question is whether that will last for the whole tour.