Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi heralded her warm ties with US President Donald Trump in a White House meeting on Thursday, but the strain in the countries’ alliance was evident.
Even as Trump praised Japan for joining several Western countries in pledging to help stabilize global energy markets, he said Tokyo should “step up” and support US efforts to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also jokingly compared the US’ surprise strikes on Iran to Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, eliciting an awkward reaction from Takaichi.
The Japanese public overwhelmingly opposes the Iran war, which is pulling US military resources away from Asia, testing the limits of Takaichi’s close relationship with Trump.