Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left for a scheduled meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in New York. Abe is expected to be the first foreign leader to meet the president-elect since last week's election. Before leaving Tokyo, the prime minister told reporters that he wants to build a relationship of trust, stressing the US-Japan alliance is the core of Tokyo's diplomacy and security. But details about the meeting remain unclear.

Trump's comments during his campaign fanned worries in Tokyo. He dashed hopes for U.S. approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. Trump also said he would demand allies contribute more to the cost of basing U.S. troops in their countries.