Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and US President Donald Trump struck a warm tone at their first meeting on Friday, with Tokyo avoiding tariffs that Trump has slapped on other allies -- for now.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to meet with Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, as the Japanese leader hopes to cement ties with the country's primary foreign partner. US and Japanese officials said economic and security concerns - particularly North Korea - will be high on the agenda,

President Donald Trump on Friday threatened tariffs on Japanese goods if the US trade deficit with Tokyo is not equalized, as he met Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Washington. But Trump insisted that he wanted "equality" in the trade balance between the two countries -- and said "yes" when asked whether tariffs could follow if no progress was made.