Trump jokes about Pearl Harbor as Japan PM sits awkwardly
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump made an awkward joke about Japan's 1941 Pearl Harbor attack during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The incident occurred at the White House on Thursday when a Japanese reporter asked why US allies weren't informed about the conflict in Iran before military action was taken. In response, Trump said it was to maintain the element of surprise before going on to mention the Pearl Harbor attack.
Trump
'Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor'
"One thing you don't want to signal too much, you know, when we go in, we went in very hard and we didn't tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan?" Trump replied. Trump then asked, "Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?" The room fell silent at this remark.
Public response
'Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?'
In videos that have gone viral, Takaichi appeared to take a deep breath and recline back in her seat with a nervous expression. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service on December 7, 1941. It killed about 2,400 Americans. The US declared war on Japan the next day. The US defeated Japan in August 1945, days after atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed thousands of civilians.
Conflict response
US 'went in very hard' on Iran
During the press conference, Trump also spoke about the ongoing conflict in Iran. He said that the US "went in very hard" and didn't inform anyone for surprise. However, he said that because of this surprise, they were able to achieve more than anticipated. He said the surprise attack had helped the US, adding that it "knocked out 50% of what we anticipated" in Iran in the first two days.
Political sensitivity
US allies 'ready' to support safe passage through Hormuz
During the meeting, Trump also commended Japan for "stepping up" to help defend the Strait of Hormuz, "unlike NATO." Before their meeting, Japan, along with five other countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, had released a joint statement expressing their readiness to "contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait."