US, Japan seen to differ in key areas

Analysts said on Monday that while US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had pointed to the strength of bilateral ties during Trump's ongoing visit to Japan, the two nations appear to be diverging on key issues.

At a joint news conference on Monday, the two leaders said both sides had shown their willingness to strengthen their "traditional close ties" and continue to cooper-ate in various fields.

Trump said he and Abe had agreed to cooperate on space exploration. The nations will "be going to the moon and Mars very soon", Trump said, adding that "from a military standpoint, there is nothing more important right now than space".