WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “step up” as he pressed allies for more support over the war with Iran and rising oil prices, while defending the secrecy of the campaign by invoking Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
Trump, who greeted Takaichi with hugs at the White House, heaped praise on the leader of Washington’s closest ally in East Asia during an Oval Office meeting where the expected topics of discussion included tense relations with China and the billions of dollars Tokyo is committing to U.S. investments favored by Trump.
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But Trump defended an Iran operation that took U.S. allies by surprise and also used the meeting to renew pressure on U.S. allies from Asia to Europe. The Republican president has asked for more ships to clear mines and escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, largely closed by Iran in the conflict, despite saying the U.S. doesn’t need any help.
“I expect Japan to step up because, you know, we have that kind of relationship and we step up for Japan,” Trump said. “We don’t need much. We don’t need anything. I mean, honestly, we don’t need anything from Japan or from anyone else. But I think it’s appropriate that people step up.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Takaichi said she had briefed Trump on what support Japan could and could not provide in the strait under its laws. She did not elaborate publicly.
TRUMP CITES PEARL HARBOR IN DEFENSE OF ‘SURPRISE’ ATTACK ON IRAN
Trump’s pleas for help have received a lukewarm response from some allies caught off guard by Trump’s audacious campaign in Iran, now in its third week.
Asked why he had not told allies about his war plans, the U.S. president cited Japan’s December 7, 1941, attack on the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which drew Washington into World War Two.
“We wanted surprise,” Trump told a Japanese journalist. “Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
Takaichi’s eyes widened, her grin vanished and she shifted in her chair next to Trump after his comment.
