US President Donald Trump will play a round of golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Florida this week.
Trump, who is due to welcome Abe at the White House on Friday, said that playing golf was a better way to get to know someone than having lunch.
"We're going to have a round of golf, which is a great thing," Trump said.
"That's the one thing about golf - you get to know somebody better on a golf course than you will over lunch."
Trump said it was good thing if the United States could get along"with other countries.
"If we get along with Russia and other countries - I mean, I want to get along with all countries - but if we got along with Russia, if we got along with China, if we got along with Japan... that's a good thing, not a bad thing."
Trump raised worries in Japan during his campaign when he appeared to question the long-standing US alliance with Tokyo and said it was not sharing enough of the cost of the US security umbrella.
Abe was the first foreign leader to meet Trump after his November election win, but Trump has lumped Japan with China and Mexico as big contributors to America's trade deficit.
Trump is expected to seek quick progress toward a two-way trade deal with Japan after abandoning US participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Abe said on Friday he was convinced Japan and the United States would be able to demonstrate an "unwavering alliance."
