A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi turned awkward when Mr Trump mentioned the Pearl Harbour incident during a White House interaction.
The moment occurred during a press briefing in the Oval Office on Thursday (19th March), when a journalist asked why the United States did not inform allies such as Japan before carrying out strikes on Iran. Responding to this, Trump said the decision was taken to maintain surprise. He then added a comment referencing Japan’s 1941 attack, saying, “We didn’t tell anybody because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbour?”
As he made this remark, Takaichi’s reaction was immediately noticeable. She lost her smile, widened her eyes and leaned back slightly in her chair. She did not react to the comment and maintained a composed and polite posture for the rest of the interaction.
The reference was to the Japanese airstrike on the US naval base in Hawaii on 7th December, 1941, which killed around 2,390 Americans and led the United States to join World War II the next day. The war between the two countries ended in 1945 after the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This is not the first time Trump has made such comments during meetings with foreign leaders. Trump had made a joke during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the D-Day landings, saying it was “not a pleasant day for you.” Merz had replied by saying that it was actually the day that led to the liberation of Germany from Nazi rule.
Despite the awkward moment, Takaichi continued the meeting without reacting publicly to the comment. At one point, she even praised Trump, stating, “He is the only leader who can achieve peace across the world.” However, her visible reaction to the Pearl Harbour remark quickly spread on social media, with people pointing out the awkwardness of the situation, despite it being a routine meeting.
