Threats rhetoric or policy?

It's not hard to see why Prime Minister Abe wants to get first word with Trump.

"Japan is better if it protects itself against this maniac of North Korea," Trump told CNN's Anderson Cooper in March.

Concerned about the statement, Abe responded publicly at the time, saying, "whoever will become the next president of the United States, the Japan-US alliance is the cornerstone of Japan's diplomacy."

A special adviser that Abe sent to the US to meet with several members of Trump's transition team before his visit said he was told that Japan shouldn't take Trump's campaign talk literally.

"All the people shared the same opinion — that we don't need to be nervous about every single word and phrase said during Mr Trump's campaign," Katsuyuki Kawai told Japanese broadcaster NHK.

Nunes told reporters: "Mr Trump is very quick learner, I think he's going to be very, very interested in all the issues dealing in Asia region."

Starting from scratch?

Tomohiko Taniguchi, the Prime Minister's special adviser said that Abe suggested the meeting during his congratulatory call to Trump on November 10.

Eager "to grab the chance" to meet the President elect, Abe decided to change his route to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru to include a stopover in New York.

Reports suggest that Abe is starting from scratch in building his relationship with Trump.

Taniguchi told CNN that the US commitment in Japan is about more than relations between the two nations, it's about a commitment to the broader Indo-Pacific region.

"As long as the US commits itself to this region, what matters is location," he said. "And Japan can offer the best location in the region."

American isolationism?

Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing, suggested that much of Trump's tough talk on Asia talk might be bluster.

"Much of the world seems convinced that Trump's election signals the ushering in of a period of American isolationism in which Washington will retreat from the world, including from Asia, and abandon its allies," said Haenle, who served on the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.

"Yet, the statements that have emerged over the last several days from Trump's advisers indicate something very different -- that Trump will implement a robust a US military presence in Asia, provide strong support for Taiwan, and bolster US alliances."

"Japan is the closest US ally in Asia and he'll want this to be reaffirmed," said Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University in Japan.

"I think Abe understands that Trump is a brittle person who takes offense easily and he will want to set a positive tone. He didn't have good chemistry with Obama," said Kingston.