Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) speaks with US President Donald Trump during a bilateral meeting held in the Oval Office of the White House on March 19, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong | Getty Images
In an admittedly awkward moment in the Oval Office on the American side on Thursday, US President Donald Trump mentioned Pearl Harbor during his first meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who won a landslide election victory.
Asked by a Japanese reporter why the United States did not notify allies such as Japan before carrying out the attack on Iran on February 28, the US president said it was to maintain the element of surprise.
“Who knows better about that? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? You believe in wonder much more than I do.”
President Trump was referring to the 1941 Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet that killed more than 2,400 people and drew the U.S. into World War II.
Takaichi took a deep breath and appeared to lean back in his seat with a worried expression on his face.
“Who knows better about that? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? You believe in wonder much more than I do.”
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President Trump said the surprise attack helped the United States, adding that in the first two days it “destroyed 50% of what we expected” in Iran.
During the meeting, President Trump praised Japan for “stepping up” to support efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz, “unlike NATO.”
Ahead of the meeting, Japan, the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands issued a joint statement expressing their readiness to “contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Channel.”
Trump has called on Japan and other countries to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, but Takaichi reportedly said on Monday that there were no plans to send naval vessels to escort ships in the Middle East.
His office also stated in a post on X that there was “no specific request from the United States to send a ship to Japan.”
Japan’s prime minister said on Tuesday that the government was considering what could be done within the framework of Japan’s laws. Japan’s Self-Defense Forces are governed by a pacifist constitution that renounces war and the threat or use of force to settle international disputes.
President Trump attacked the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies earlier this week, saying it would be a “very stupid mistake” for the alliance not to join the war.
In response, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius reportedly said on Monday: “This is not our war, we did not start it,” a position echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to Reuters, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday: “As long as the war continues, we have declared that we will not take part in securing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, including by military means.”
