U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on Friday and said the two countries would work to cut Washington's trade deficit with Tokyo amid escalating trade tensions threatening to rupture the global economy.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will go to the White House to try to rekindle Japan’s relationship with President Donald Trump — and to fend off potential tariffs.

During the Friday meeting, the president plans to cover a range of issues in his meeting with the Japanese prime minister, including Japanese investment in the U.S. economy and improving cyber security.