US President Donald Trump mixed humour with an awkward historical reference during a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House on Thursday.
The meeting began on a lighter note, with Trump praising Takaichi’s English fluency and joking about skipping translation.
“Do you understand this? Very good, I’ll tell you! So nice we don’t have to sit through translation,” Trump said, drawing smiles.
He added playfully, “Next time I’ll have your language passed,” suggesting he would try to learn Japanese before her next visit.
However, the tone shifted when Trump referenced Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor while answering a question about why allies were not informed before US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
“We didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK?” Trump said.
He then turned to Takaichi and added, “Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?”
The remark appeared to catch the Japanese Prime Minister off guard. Takaichi, who was relying on an interpreter, did not respond and appeared visibly uncomfortable, shifting in her seat as reporters reacted audibly in the room.
The reference carries deep historical weight. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, killed more than 2,400 Americans and led the United States to enter World War II.
The US later dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only use of nuclear weapons in history.
Takaichi’s visit comes at a sensitive time, as she is among the first allied leaders to meet Trump since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.
Source: India Today