Obama, Abe to battle negative images at U.S.- Japan summit

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attend the opening session of the Nuclear Security summit (NSS) in The Hague March 24, 2014. REUTERS/Yves Herman

TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When U.S. President Barack Obama meets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a summit next week, they will be battling negative undercurrents that could undermine their message that Asia's most important security alliance is firm.

Obama, stopping in Tokyo at the beginning of a four-nation Asian trip, must counter worries in Japan that his commitment to its defence in the face of an increasingly assertive China is weak.