Laughter in DC, Anger in Tokyo: How Trump’s Pearl Harbor Gaffe Ruined Takaichi’s US Visit

Japanese Prime Minister SANAE TAKAICHI met U.S. President DONALD TRUMP at the White House on March 19, 2026, to reaffirm their alliance after Trump criticized Japan for not quickly joining his call to protect the Strait of Hormuz. 

During the meeting, Takaichi invoked late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s phrase “Japan is back,” while Trump urged Japan to take a greater role in the Iran conflict. In a controversial exchange with a Japanese reporter, Trump cited the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack to justify the U.S.’s surprise strike on Iran, prompting a visibly shocked reaction from Takaichi. 

Public reaction in Japan was mixed: some viewed Takaichi as disrespected, while others hoped the talks on Alaskan oil and subsidies would ease record-high domestic gasoline prices, which surged 18% in a week to 191 yen per liter—straining Takaichi’s pledge to lower living costs amid soaring global oil prices.



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