Japan's Abe to showcase alliance, get Obama to back Abenomics Expectations for "Abenomics," especially drastic monetary easing, have sliced about 10 percent off the yen's value against the dollar since Abe took office, raising concern that Japan is weakening its currency to export its way out of recession. "The situation in East Asia is becoming more and more precarious," said Mikitaka Masuyama, a professor at Tokyo's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies. Abe, due to arrive in Washington late on Thursday, also hopes to secure at least a wink and a nod from Obama that would allow him to argue that Japan can negotiate special treatment for politically sensitive sectors such as rice if it joins talks on a U.S.-led free trade pact. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that Tokyo must be open to negotiation on all trade sectors, but did not rule out the possibility of special treatment in the final deal. Japan's big businesses wants it to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact to avoid being left behind in global competition, but powerful farm lobbies are opposed, dividing Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Previewing the meeting, Michael Froman, Obama's adviser on international economics, said the two leaders would review the status of TPP consultations and insisted that Japan would be expected to put everything "on the table" for negotiation as other countries in the process have done. Froman declined to say whether the president would raise Japan's currency during the talks. But he told reporters: "The U.S. and Japan have a shared interest in seeing stronger global growth in the economy and we agree that no countries should target currencies for competitive purpose or try to grow at the expense of others." The two leaders will spend time on the need for stronger sanctions on North Korea and are likely to discuss beefed up missile defense after Pyongyang's latest nuclear test last week. Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said they would consult on North Korea's "provocative acts" as part of Washington's effort to reaffirm its commitment to Asian allies while sending a message to Pyongyang that it will be held responsible for its actions. Washington says the islets fall under a U.S.-Japan security pact, but it is keen to avoid a clash in such an economically vital region. "No one wants to allow tensions ... to escalate," said Danny Russel, Obama's Asia adviser. The president "will value hearing the prime minister's assessment and will welcome any and all constructive steps to engage diplomatically and to manage the maritime situation in a way that prevents the risk of miscalculation," he said. Obama and Abe may also discuss cyber-security, the White House said. U.S. officials have become increasingly concerned amid growing reports of China's role in cyber-attacks on U.S. government and corporate entities - something Beijing denies. Abe is expected to come bearing one welcome gift - a promise Japan will finally join an international treaty on cross-border child custody disputes, known as The Hague Convention. Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Paul Eckert in Washington; Editing by Ron Popeski and Todd Eastham