WASHINGTON (AP) β Japanese Prime MinisterΒ Sanae TakaichiΒ sought to reaffirm her alliance with PresidentΒ Donald TrumpΒ on Thursday after the president this week seemed to complain that Japan was among the nations that did not join his call to help protect the Strait of Hormuz.
Takaichi, who met with Trump at the White House, told the Republican president that Japan has opposed Iran’s development of its nuclear program and appealed to his desire to be seen as a peacemaker, despite launching a war of choice with Iran, by telling him through an interpreter: βEven against that backdrop, I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world.β
The two leaders had warm words for each other, including Trump calling the prime minister a βpopular powerful woman,” but there appeared to be some tension as they faced repeated questions from reporters about Japan’s support for the Iran war.
As Trump took questions from reporters during the roughly 30-minute public appearance with the prime minister before their closed-door meeting, Taikaichi could be seen checking her watch. And then Trump made a particularly uncomfortable remark invoking Japanβs 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor when he was asked why the U.S. didnβt notify allies like Japan ahead of the strikes in Iran.
βWe didnβt tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didnβt you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?” Trump joked.
As Trump said that, Takaichiβs slight smile appeared to drop, and she raised her eyebrows.
Trump told reporters that he and Takaichi would be discussing in their meeting Japanβs level of support for the U.S. in the Iran war, saying, βThey are really stepping up to the plate.β He did not offer details.
He later said that much of the oil Japan relies on passes through the Strait of Hormuz and said, βso thatβs a big reason to step up. He also mentioned U.S. spending in Japan and the number of troops it has stationed there.
βI expect Japan to step up you know, because we have that kind of relationship,β Trump said.
A nuclear reactor deal announcement is expected
Taikaichiβs meeting at the White House, followed by a dinner Thursday night, was supposed to give Japanβs new prime minister a prime opportunity to have Trumpβs ear before he embarked on a trip to China.
But now, the war in Iran and TrumpβsΒ unsuccessful call for Japan and other nationsΒ to help protect the vital Strait of Hormuz means theΒ China trip has been delayed. Trump had repeatedly complained on camera and online that U.S. allies, including Japan,Β rejected his requestΒ to help safeguard the critical waterway for oil and gas transport.
The prime minister acknowledged before she left Japan that she expected her meeting with TrumpΒ will be βvery difficult.β
Beyond facing questions about Iran, Takaichi and Trump on Thursday are expected to announce a $40 billion nuclear reactor deal, according to a White House official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details before the announcement.
Under the deal, U.S.-based GE Vernova Inc. and Japan-based Hitachi Ltd. will build advanced small modular reactors in Tennessee and Alabama, the official said. The deal aims to help stabilize electricity prices and expand power generation in the U.S.
Takaichi and her ministers have denied that Washington officially requested Japanese warships for the U.S.-Israeli operation.
Japan, a key U.S. ally in Asia, is one of the countries that Trump namechecked on Tuesday as he railed against the lack of help with the Strait of Hormuz before declaring the help wasnβt needed.
The meeting carries high stakes
Trump is expected to put βenormous pressureβ on Takaichi, said Kurt Campbell, the former U.S. deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration who is now chair of The Asia Group.
Campbell said heβs never seen a meeting between U.S. and Japanese leaders carrying such high stakes. To press for Japanβs interests, he said, Takaichi will want to find a way to suggest that Japan is a part of the U.S. plan in the Middle East.
βSheβs going to want to come out of that as a partner in this case and realize that if she can do that, that she can translate that potentially into the president listening more to Japanese concerns about Taiwan or other issues,β Campbell said.
The constraints on Japanβs involvement in Iran include a provision in its post-World War IIΒ constitution that bans the use of forceΒ except to defend its territory. The countryβs military is called the Self-Defense Force.
Christopher Johnstone, a partner and chair of the defense and national security practice at The Asia Group, said Japan could help with mine-sweeping and has had βa small naval presenceβ in the region as part of an anti-piracy mission for at least a decade. But to join the U.S. mission would require Takaichi to clear βan exceptionally high bar politically to invoke collective self-defenseβ that has never been done before.
Takaichi wanted to focus on trade and security in the Indo-Pacific region
Takaichi, who had herΒ first meeting with TrumpΒ in October in Tokyo, is Japanβs first female prime minister and a protΓ©gΓ© of former leader Shinzo Abe, who developed aΒ close relationship with Trump.
She is also a hard-line conservative and longtime supporter of Taiwan whose comments about Japanβs willingness to provide military support to the islandΒ have heightened tensions with China.
Ahead of her meeting with Trump, Takaichi had sought to focus on trade, strengthening the U.S.-Japan relationship and security concerns. Japanese officials said the two sides would work to deepen cooperation in regional security, critical minerals, energy and dealing with China.
China views self-governed Taiwan, which the U.S. relies on for its production of computer chips, as its sovereign territory and has said it would take it by force if needed.
But beyond questions about helping with the Strait of Hormuz, the global implications of the Iran war have also put the Japanese leader in a tougher spot with Trump as she seeks to ensure U.S. commitment to the Indo-Pacific region.
JapanΒ considers China a growing security threatΒ and has pushed a military buildup on southwestern islands near the East China Sea. But the U.S. hasΒ shifted some troopsΒ stationed in Japan to the Middle East, removing a check against Chinaβs power.
Takaichi is expected to raise concerns about troop shifts with Trump because they are coming at the same time China is launching a large number of exercises around Taiwan.
βThis raises the prospect that β once again β the United States will be distracted and bogged down in the Middle East at a time when the deterrence problem in East Asia has never been greater,β Johnstone said.
