Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi Dodge Differences Over Iran War in Warm Get-Together

President Trump and Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, got around differences on Iran at a White House summit at which the two leaders said mostly the right things to smooth over what might have been an impasse between allies.Mr. Trump made a passing reference to Japan’s favorite sport of baseball when he remarked that Japan was “stepping up to the plate” on Iran. Tokyo joined six other countries Thursday in promising “appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, though it has made no specific military commitments.A smiling reminder by Mr. Trump of Japan’s December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor did not upset the momentum of a meeting in which the two leaders seemed determined not to let the Iran war jeopardize the alliance. Ms. Takaichi did appear to flinch slightly when Mr. Trump recalled the day that President Roosevelt said would “live in infamy” when asked by a Japanese reporter why he hadn’t let Japan, as an ally, know in advance about plans to attack Iran.“We wanted surprise,” Mr. Trump replied. “Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?” He drove home the point by telling Ms. Takaichi, “You believe in surprise, I think, much more so than us.”Ms. Takaichi did not come to Washington, however, to spar with Mr. Trump on history, past or present. Rather, she mingled concern about the Iran war with unadorned praise for Mr. Trump. “The global economy is about to experience a huge hit” from the war, she warned, but added: “I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, that can achieve peace across the world.”Lest she appear to be criticizing America’s conduct of the war, she took care to blame Iran for “attacking the neighboring region and also the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.”Japan’s biggest-selling newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun, provided hour-by-hour coverage as Mr. Trump and Ms. Takaichi sought to affirm their mutual goodwill. “Tonight we are hosting a very special and wonderful person for us,” the president said at a White House dinner where he welcomed the prime minister as “my good friend and partner.”Although Iran seemed to dominate the summit, Yomiuri noted that the Japanese and American governments announced investment in “next generation nuclear reactors” to be built in Tennessee and Alabama. A White House fact sheet said the investment of up to $40 billion in these “small modular reactors” would be in addition to an investment of up to $33 billion toward natural gas generation in Pennsylvania and Texas.Japan previously pledged in February to invest $36 billion in other non-nuclear energy projects in America. In an apparent reference to Japanese efforts to stem the leakage of sensitive information and advanced technology to adversaries, the White House fact sheet said the two countries “will continue to cooperate on matters related to investment security.” Mr. Trump, however, was far more interested in Japan’s role as a military ally. Claiming “tremendous support and good relations with Japan on everything,” he said “they have really stepped up.” To which, he added, “Unlike NATO.”Returning to the analogy of “stepping up to the plate,” the president reminded Ms. Takaichi of the benefits Japan receives as America’s foremost alliance partner in Asia. “I expect Japan to step up,” he said. “Japan has 45,000 U.S. soldiers, and we are spending a lot of money. Japan relies on imports for more than 90 percent of its oil. That’s reason enough to step up.”Actually, the number of American troops in Japan is closer to 55,000, according to the Pentagon, but the remark might have echoed suggestions during Mr. Trump’s first term that America’s commitment to Japan’s defense be substantially reduced. Ms. Takaichi has called for a substantial increase in the budget for Japan’s military, called “Self-Defense Forces,” a reminder that Japan’s constitution requires that they be used for defense of the country, not for joining in foreign wars.

Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi Dodge Differences Over Iran War in Warm Get-Together

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