Speaking in a notably cordial meeting with PM Sanae Takaichi, the US President explained to reporters why he had not informed allies before the US and Israel carried out military action against Iran on February 28
US President Donald Trump meets with Japan's PM Sanae Takaichi in the White House on Thursday. PIC/AFP
US President Donald Trump on Thursday startled Japan's Prime Minister (PM) by referring to the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, in a remark that was intended to be light-hearted but was likely to cause unease in a country that is now a close ally of the United States (US).
Speaking in a notably cordial meeting with PM Sanae Takaichi, Trump explained to reporters why he had not informed allies before the US and Israel carried out military action against Iran on February 28, news agency AFP reported.
“We didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK?” Trump said in the Oval Office.
Looking directly at Takaichi, the 79-year-old president added, “Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?”
Takaichi, relying on an interpreter, did not respond verbally but appeared to suppress a slight sigh, shifting in her chair, while at least one audible groan was heard in the room, which was crowded with US and Japanese reporters.
Imperial Japan launched a pre-emptive strike on the US Pacific base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, aiming to deliver a decisive blow before an anticipated American entry into World War 2. The attack killed more than 2,400 Americans, and President Franklin D Roosevelt famously declared the day would live “in infamy”. The US later ended the war by dropping two atomic bombs on Japan — the only use of nuclear weapons in history.
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For the Japanese, wartime history remains sensitive. Japan has, over decades, cultivated a close alliance with the US and sought to move beyond memories of conflict.
Takaichi herself is known for nationalist views, having said previously that Japan fought a defensive war and has apologised excessively to Asian nations that suffered during the war.
Trump has previously made similarly striking World War 2 references. Last year, during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, he remarked that the D-Day landings of Allied troops in Nazi-occupied France “was not a pleasant day for you”. Merz responded that Germans owed a debt to Americans, as the landings ultimately “were the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship.”
Trump has justified his recent strike on Iran by claiming the country was close to obtaining a nuclear weapon — a claim not supported by the UN nuclear watchdog or most independent observers — and has urged Iranians to rise against their clerical leadership, though he has stopped short of calling for regime change.
(With AFP inputs)
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