On the other hand, Takaichi has received praise for her measured response even as she stiffened visibly over Trump’s comments at the joint press conference in the Oval Office on Thursday.
In response to a question from a Japanese reporter about Washington’s failure to tell its allies before its February 28 attack on Iran, Trump replied: “We wanted a surprise. Who knows better about surprises than Japan. Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbour?” He was referring to the surprise attack by the Japanese military on the American naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, which prompted the US to declare war against Japan and enter World War II the following day.
US President Donald Trump (right) and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House Thursday. Photo: Kyodo
Trump has earlier called on Japan and other allies to play a part in escorting ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran threatens to choke off maritime passage in the vital waterways, where about 20 per cent of the world’s oil and LNG passes through. Almost 90 per cent of Japanese respondents in recent surveys are strongly opposed to Tokyo’s military involvement in the conflict.