With the intention of creating a bond with one of Japan’s allies, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited the White House for three days, arriving on March 18.
Takaichi is the first leader from a country that considers itself a United States ally to meet with Trump regarding his views on Iran’s Strait of Hormuz. The Strait, a major trade route specifically affecting oil, is threatening to close in response to Iran’s current conflicts with the United States and Israel. Trump is looking for support from other nations to control the Strait by sending “War Ships,” according to a post he made on Truth Social. None of the countries he mentioned in the post, such as China, Japan, South Korea, and France, have explicitly supported his plans.
Before departure, Takaichi stated that she anticipated her interactions with President Donald Trump to be “very difficult,” but that her goal is “to confirm that our countries will reinforce their relations across a wide spectrum of fields, such as security and the economy, including economic security.” Japan has a need to maintain its close alliance with the United States, despite the fact that many Japanese citizens do not support Trump’s current actions towards Iran. Currently, the country leaders themselves have remained politically neutral to the public.
This is not Takaichi’s first meeting with Trump. In October, Takaichi had a positive interaction with Trump as he visited a naval base in Yokosuka, Japan. Trump also had a bond with one of her mentors, the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. However, while she has a variety of conservative views of Japan, Takaichi still aims to tackle the Iran problem with a more peaceful approach.
Currently, Trump is receiving a great deal of controversy for his comments that reference Japan’s 1941 attack on a U.S. Naval station in Pearl Harbor. During a press conference with Takaichi, he was questioned by a reporter on why he did not notify European and Asian countries considered to be U.S. allies before making the decision to target Iran.
“We didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan?” Trump said. “Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
Laughter can be heard in the recording, shortly after Trump’s mention of Japan.
The reporter, Morio Chijiiwa, is a part of the Japanese television station TV Asahi. On a talk show, he said that his question was meant to reflect on the opinions of Japanese citizens, as most are against Trump’s handling of Iran.
“That’s why I asked the question. I was meaning to say, why didn’t you tell us, why are you troubling us?” said Chijiiwa. “Then President Trump hit back with the Pearl Harbor attack … I found it extremely awkward for him to change the subject.”
Takaichi’s response to the comment has received a mixed reception, with some admiring her silent approach, and others wishing that she responded in a more defensive way.
Tsuneo Watanabe, a senior research fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, stated that he “gets the impression that the comment was intended to bring the Japanese reporter or Ms. Takaichi into complicity in order to justify his ‘sneak attack’ on Iran during diplomatic negotiations and without telling allied countries.”
Despite the charged comments, Trump and Takaichi were able to conclude their meetings on a peaceful note. Takaichi described her and the President to be “best buddies,” and Trump declared her a “spectacular woman.”
Takaichi’s meeting with Trump was originally supposed to line up so they would meet before Trump made a visit to China, but with the current conflicts in Iran, the visit to China has been delayed.
While the future is uncertain regarding the Strait of Hormuz, many countries including the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Canada, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Panama, Nigeria, and Chile released a joint statement on March 19 condemning the closure of the Strait.
