After an election campaign when he questioned basic assumptions about American strategy in Asia, Donald Trump will today give the first clues to his actual approach to the region when he meets Shinzo Abe, Japanese prime minister, in New York.
Mr Abe will become the first foreign leader to meet the president-elect since his surprise election victory last week, giving the Japanese leader the chance to lobby Mr Trump at a time when many of his key policies have yet to take shape.
Although Mr Trump is expected to maintain his promise to abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal — a move likely to upset the Japanese — he could surprise US allies in the region with other aspects of his strategy.