Trump makes Pearl Harbor joke during meeting with Japanese prime minister

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sought to reaffirm her alliance with President Donald Trump on Thursday after the president this week seemed to complain that Japan was among the nations that did not join his call to help protect the Strait of Hormuz.

Takaichi, who met with Trump at the White House, told the Republican president that Japan has opposed Iran's development of its nuclear program and appealed to his desire to be seen as a peacemaker, despite his launching a war of choice with Iran. She told the U.S. president through an interpreter that in the Middle East and around the world now, there was "a very severe security environment," but said, “Even against that backdrop, I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world.”

The two leaders had warm words for each other, including Trump calling the prime minister a “popular powerful woman," but there appeared to be some tension as they faced repeated questions from reporters about Japan's support for the Iran war.

As Trump took questions from reporters during the roughly 30-minute public appearance with the prime minister in the Oval Office before their closed-door meeting, Taikaichi could be seen checking her watch. And then Trump made a particularly uncomfortable remark invoking Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor when he was asked why the U.S. didn’t notify allies like Japan ahead of the strikes on Iran.

“We didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?" Trump joked.

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