Thursday Morning Briefing: Mr. Trump, there's a Shinzo Abe here to see you.

View in Browser Thursday, November 17, 2016 By Derek Caney   President-elect Donald Trump is expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today, Trump's first meeting with a foreign leader since being elected. But as of last night, Japanese officials didn't know where or when the meeting would take place. Nor did they know who would be attending. The expected topics up for discussion, however, are well known: The nature of the alliance between the United States and Japan. During the campaign, Trump raised questions: "If somebody attacks Japan, we have to immediately go and start World War III, okay? If we get attacked, Japan doesn't have to help us. Somehow, that doesn't sound so fair." – Donald Trump, Dec. 30, 2015, Hilton Head, South Carolina "You're going to have to ask yourself, at what point and at what cost do we continue to protect Japan, Germany and many other countries. They're not paying for the protection anywhere near what it's costing us." – Donald Trump, Face The Nation, CBS News, April 3, 2016 Katsuyuki Kawai, an adviser to Abe sent to set up the Trump meeting, said he had spoken to several Trump advisers since arriving in Washington on Monday. "I have been meeting with so many top aides to the president-elect and also I have been meeting with the very distinguished senators and congressmen and they unanimously told me that we don’t have to take each word that Mr. Trump said publicly literally." How will this look in my bedroom? President Barack Obama tours the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Nov. 16, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Around the world Relations with China under President-elect Donald Trump will come down to whether the United States goes through with a joint missile defense system with South Korea, sources with ties to the leadership in Beijing said. The U.S. and South Korea agreed to the defense system as a check against repeated threats from North Korea. China has argued that the defense system undermines stability in the region. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said he might follow Russia and withdraw from the International Criminal Court, citing criticism from Western nations for a rash of killings unleashed by his war on drugs. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order removing Russia's signature from the founding treaty of the ICC. The United States has never signed it. Iran must stop repeatedly overstepping a limit on its stock of a sensitive material set by the nuclear deal it signed with Western nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. Around Wall Street Digits of the day 6 million Russia's communications regulator ordered internet service providers to block LinkedIn sites, after a court ruled the social networking company broke local data laws. The regulator said LinkedIn violated laws that require websites to store personal data of Russian citizens on Russian servers. LinkedIn, which has 6 million users in Russia, is the first major social network to be blocked by Russian authorities. OPEC officials are working to nail down details of their plan to limit the oil supply and gaps over some sticking points are narrowing, OPEC sources said. If it takes effect, it would be the group's first such deal since 2008. The coal market rally could be ending. China is loosening the restrictions on domestic mining that triggered the doubling of coal prices over the last six months. Around the country Jeronimo Yanez, the Minnesota police officer who was caught on video moments after he allegedly killed Philando Castile, was charged with second-degree manslaughter in the incident. Thou shalt not covet! But bidding is ok. Today's reason to live Tom Waits – Big In Japan Follow us Friend us Manage Subscriptions Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters Unsubscribe from this newsletter Add newsletters@email.reuters.com to your address book. Got this email from a friend? Subscribe here. www.reuters.com 3 Times Square. New York, NY 10036 USA ©Copyright 2016 Thomson Reuters