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In Tokyo, the topic of Japan’s 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor is usually approached with caution by U.S. and Japanese officials, who choose their words carefully. However, President Donald Trump’s recent offhand reference to the World War II assault, used to justify his secrecy regarding military actions in Iran, caused a stir of embarrassment and confusion in Japan on Saturday.
The situation was further complicated by the presence of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who sat uneasily beside Trump during his remarks.
This reaction stems partly from Japan’s reliance on the United States for security and economic support, given America’s status as Japan’s primary ally in the region. Ensuring a strong relationship with the U.S. is crucial for Japan, which is why Takaichi was visiting Washington.
Additionally, the incident highlights the ongoing sensitivity surrounding Japan’s wartime actions, a subject that remains politically charged even eight decades after World War II concluded.
Japanese leaders, including Takaichi, have reiterated that Japan has sufficiently apologized for its wartime conduct. Recently, Takaichi has suggested she might visit Tokyo’s contentious Yasukuni Shrine, where several war criminals are among the 2.5 million honored war dead, further fueling debate.
It is, however, somewhat startling for Japan to see these history questions spill over into a White House summit.
On Thursday, when asked by a Japanese reporter why he didn’t tell allies in Europe and Asia ahead of the U.S. attack on Iran, Trump cited Pearl Harbor to defend his decision, saying, ‘Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?”
The liberal leaning Asahi newspaper said in an editorial Saturday that Trump’s comments “should not be overlooked.”
“Making such a remark to justify a sneak attack and boast about its outcome is a piece of nonsense that ignores lessons from history,” Asahi said.
Claims of rudeness
Social media reaction has ranged from accusations of ignorance and rudeness by the U.S. president to claims that he didn’t see Japan as an equal partner. There were calls for Japan to protest what Trump said.
Tsuneo Watanabe, a senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, said in an online opinion piece published in the Nikkei newspaper Saturday that the comment signaled that Trump was “not bound by existing American common sense.”
“I get the impression that the comment was intended to bring the Japanese reporter (who asked the question) or Ms. Takaichi into complicity in order to justify his ‘sneak attack’ on Iran during diplomatic negotiations and without telling allied countries,” Watanabe said.
There’s also a feeling that an unspoken understanding exists between U.S. and Japanese leaders to tread carefully on the subject. Both sides need each other, with Washington relying on Japan to host 50,000 troops and an array of powerful hi-tech weapons, and Japan relying on the U.S. nuclear umbrella to deter hostile, nuclear-armed neighbors.
Japan’s post-World War II constitution bans the use of force except for its self-defense, but Takaichi and other officials are now seeking to expand the military’s role.
When it comes to U.S.-Japan reconciliation, many here look to the example of former leaders Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe, who in 2016 paid tribute together at the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor and at the Hiroshima Peace Park.
Mixed reaction for Japan’s leader
Takaichi, a hard-line conservative, was praised for not reacting to the comments by Trump, letting them pass with a roll of her eyes and a glance at her ministers seated nearby.
After all, the goal of her summit was to deepen ties with her most important ally, not debate World War II. She arrived shortly after Trump suggested that Japan was among the nations that did not quickly join his call to help protect the Strait of Hormuz.
Some, however, criticized Takaichi for not speaking up.
Hitoshi Tanaka, a former diplomat and a special adviser at the Japan Research Institute think tank, wrote on X that he felt embarrassed to see Takaichi flattering Trump.
“As national leaders, they are equals. … To make an equal relationship is not to flatter,” he said. “Just doing what pleases Trump and calling it a success if you are not hurt is too sad.”
Reporter criticized
There was initial blame on social media of the Japanese reporter who asked the question that prompted Trump’s Pearl Harbor comment.
The reporter, Morio Chijiiwa with TV Asahi, later said on a talk show that he asked the question to represent the feelings of Japanese who are not happy about Trump’s one-sided attack on Iran, and because other countries, including Japan, are being asked to help out.
“So that’s why I asked the question. I was meaning to say, Why didn’t you tell us, why are you troubling us?” he said. “Then President Trump hit back with the Pearl Harbor attack. … I found it extremely awkward for him to change the subject.”
Junji Miyako, 53, said Takaichi flattering Trump felt more condescending to him than the President’s Pearl Harbor remark.
“I was so frustrated to see Takaichi didn’t even say anything to Trump to stop the war,” he said. “I think Trump’s Pearl Harbor comment was stupid, but to me the war he started is a much bigger problem.”
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This story has been corrected to state that Trump spoke on Thursday, not Friday.