REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid a surprise visit to the Lincoln Memorial on Monday.

The visit, which had not been announced by the White House, comes a day ahead of Abe's official visit to Washington.

That will include an Oval Office meeting at the White House, a joint press conference and a state dinner at the executive mansion.

The two leaders stood in the sun beside the monument to US president Abraham Lincoln, on the National Mall, a grassy esplanade that stretches over to Congress.

"This is an opportunity before the formal events tomorrow to spend time together one-on-one at a place of historical significance for the United States, as this month marks both the 150th anniversary of the Civil War's end as well as President Lincoln's passing," a White House official said.

Meanwhile, in New York, the United States and Japan unveiled new rules for defense cooperation in a historic move that will give Japanese forces a wider global role amid concerns over China's rising sway.

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