A joke Trump made about Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor has gotten mixed reactions in Asia, where commenters noted the awkwardness of the situation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was sitting beside Trump in the Oval Office.
Responding to a Japanese reporter’s question about why the U.S. attacked Iran without notifying Japan or other allies, Trump said he wanted to catch Iran off-guard.
“Who knows better about surprise than Japan? OK, why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?” he laughed, adding, “You believe in surprise, I think, much more than us.”
Takaichi, who is visiting Washington with the aim of bolstering her country’s U.S. alliance, appeared visibly uncomfortable, her eyes widening as she shifted in her seat with pursed lips and appeared to sigh, saying nothing.
Commentators were split on how Takaichi handled what the Asahi Shimbun newspaper described as Trump’s “shallow understanding of historical context.” Other media outlets suggested that Takaichi’s restraint showed she did not want a joke, albeit a sensitive one, to blow up U.S.-Japan relations.
Read the NBC News story on Trump’s comments here.
Polls show the Japanese public is deeply skeptical of the war in Iran, and the country’s pacifist constitution makes it illegal to involve Japan’s military in an international dispute.
Jeff Kingston, a professor at Temple University in Tokyo, said Takaichi’s only real leverage going to Washington was “to do something to make Trump feel better about his global image.”
Chinese social media feasted on the moment, with the hashtag #SanaeTakaichiMicroexpressions racking up nearly 8 million views as of this afternoon. Takaichi is widely unpopular here after comments she made last November about potential Japanese military support for Taiwan if it were attacked by China.
Some Chinese users even mused that Takaichi might have inspired Trump’s remarks because she was wearing pearls.
