TOKYO - Less than a week into her tenure as Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi positioned herself to become President Donald Trump’s top ally in Asia with a charm offensive that catered to Trump’s soft spots: golf,

Her social media post about visiting Japanese war memorials in Kuala Lumpur, where she commemorated Japanese "ancestors who lost their lives in Malaysia," has drawn sharp criticism from Malaysians who view her remarks as tone-deaf given Japan's brutal World War II occupation of the country.

TOKYO (Reuters) -Among the gifts offered up by Japan's new premier Sanae Takaichi to U.S. President Donald Trump in their first meeting on Tuesday was a putter used by Shinzo Abe, his golfing buddy and the country's late leader.