Japan PM Placates Trump on Iran, But Faces Pearl Harbor Surprise
Washington: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi navigated a potential clash with Donald Trump over Iran on Thursday uneventfully, but the US president stirred up a bit of a storm over Pearl Harbor.
Days after harshly criticizing U.S. allies, including Japan, for failing to heed calls to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump praised Tokyo’s efforts in the Middle East war in vague terms.
“Based on the statements that were given to us yesterday, the day before yesterday, regarding Japan, I believe they have indeed stepped into that level,” Trump told reporters while hosting Takaichi in the Oval Office. he said.
After a long pause, Trump added the phrase “unlike NATO” and repeated his criticism of the US-led military alliance with predominantly European countries.
Trump gave few details about what help Japan could provide in securing the vital waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil normally passes.
But his tone towards Takaichi was much friendlier than his harsh words towards his allies, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, on the issue in recent days.
“I’m so proud of you. We became friends,” Trump said of Japan’s first female prime minister, whom he supported before his landslide election victory in February.
The 64-year-old conservative, meanwhile, was seen giving 79-year-old Trump a big hug when he arrived at the White House early, according to footage released by one of Trump’s aides.
Sending the Self-Defense Forces abroad is a politically sensitive issue in officially pacifist Japan, as many voters support the US-imposed 1947 constitution that rejected war.
However, an hour before the Trump meeting, Japan and five other allies, including Britain and France, announced that they were ready to “contribute to the necessary efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Trump said it would be “appropriate” for Japan and other allies to contribute, noting that Japan gets approximately 90 percent of its oil from the Strait.
World War II
But diplomacy with Trump is rarely simple; Trump demonstrated this again when asked by a Japanese reporter why allies were not included in talks before the Iranian attacks took place.
“Who knows the surprise better than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?” Trump responded.
Takaichi leaned back a little in his chair and his eyes widened when Trump mentioned Tokyo’s Dec. 7, 1941, attack on the U.S. Pacific fleet in Hawaii, which led to the U.S. entry into World War II.
But the Japanese prime minister appeared eager to make the most of his time with the US president, including a dinner.
He was seen twice ostentatiously checking his watch as the Oval Office press conference drew to a close.
But the meeting appeared to once again highlight Takaichi’s ability to charm Trump, after a similar friendly meeting in Tokyo in October followed Takaichi saying he would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
After the meeting, the two countries announced a $40 billion project to build nuclear reactors in Tennessee and Alabama, and a $33 billion investment in electricity production facilities from natural gas in Pennsylvania and Texas.
The deal comes after Tokyo last year agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States by 2029 in exchange for reducing tariffs from 25 percent to 15 percent that Washington had threatened.
Another reason why Tokyo cannot afford to offend Trump is that the United States has been the guarantor of Japan’s security for decades, with 60,000 troops on Japanese soil.
The US security umbrella is particularly important in the face of an increasingly assertive China.
But polls published last week show that the honeymoon has deteriorated since Takaichi won the election as the cost of oil and gas from the Iran war risks making life more expensive for companies and families alike.
