Call it cheeseburger diplomacy. Japan’s prime minister says he and
President Bush eased their way to a relaxed relationship over a meal of burgers during his first visit to the United States as premier.

“President Bush and I were able to deepen our friendship and trust — in fact, we are now on a first-name basis, calling each other ‘George’ and ‘Shinzo,’” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wrote Thursday in his e-mail newsletter of his April 26-27 American visit.

Abe, who is known as an ice cream fanatic, said Bush sealed the bond with a lunch of “quintessentially American fare, a large cheeseburger.” He said they also “chatted about the outstanding performance of Japanese baseball players in the Major League.”