Trump compares Iran war with Pearl Harbor
US President Donald Trump invoked Japan’s 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to defend his decision to keep allies in the dark about the initial strikes on Iran, to the surprise of his White House guest, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
During a meeting at the Oval Office with Takaichi on Thursday, Trump said when asked by a reporter why US allies were not informed about the Feb. 28 attacks: “We went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise.”
He added: “Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? Okay? Right?”
Trump’s reference to the Japanese attack which led to US participation in World War II prompted an uncomfortable moment, as Takaichi raised her eyebrows.
“Because of that surprise, we knocked out the first two days, we probably knocked out 50 percent of what we—and much more than we anticipated doing,” Trump continued, regarding the US-Israel assault against Iran.
Successful alliance
Trump also said he has a “very fine relationship” with Takaichi, who appeared at the White House for the first time as his guest since she became prime minister in October last year.
He praised Japan for buying “a lot of” US military equipment and said he believes Tokyo, unlike the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato), is now “stepping up to the plate” over the war with Iran, but didn’t elaborate.
The US leader reiterated his plea for more support from other countries, as he also expressed frustration over Nato’s reluctance to step in.
“I expect Japan to step up, because, you know, we have that kind of relationship,” Trump said. “We have 45,000 soldiers in Japan. We have, we spend a lot of money on Japan … so I expect, I’m not surprised that they would step up.”
Trump appeared satisfied with the outcome of his discussions with Takaichi, and at a dinner attended by more than 50 people from both countries, he heaped praise on the decades-old alliance between Tokyo and Washington, calling it the most successful in the world.
“Our partnership has made both the United States and Japan stronger, freer and more successful than virtually any other nation on the planet, and under the leadership of the prime minister and myself, I know we will soon make that partnership even stronger and better than ever before. We have that relationship,” he said.
