The prime minister of Japan knows he has big shoes to fill as he prepares to meet President Donald Trump, whose well-documented friendship with the late Shinzo Abe defined trans-Pacific collaboration during his first administration.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is meeting with Trump at the White House Friday afternoon for a brief introduction with two simple priorities: reaffirming the two countries’ existing alliance and establishing a “personal relationship of trust” between the leaders.