Surprise, embarrassment, unease in Japan after Trump uses Pearl Harbor to defend Iran war

President Donald Trump speaks with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 2026-03-21T11:50:42Z TOKYO (AP) — Senior U.S. and Japanese officials tend to shy away from anything but very careful public comments about Japan’s 1941 sneak attack on U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor. So there was embarrassment, confusion and unease on Saturday in Japan after President Donald Trump casually used the World War II attack to justify his secrecy before launching the war against Iran. The Japanese discomfort was compounded by the fact that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was sitting awkwardly at Trump’s side as he spoke. Partly, the reaction is linked to the crucial security and economic role that the U.S. plays for Japan, its top ally in the region. Put simply, Japan needs to make sure the U.S. relationship thrives. That’s why Takaichi was in Washington. But it’s also a reflection of just how fresh the political debate about Japan’s role in World War II remains here, even 80 years after its end. Senior leaders, including Takaichi, have argued that Japan has apologized enough for what happened in the war. Takaichi herself has recently hinted at visiting Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese war criminals are honored among the 2.5 million war dead. It is, however, somewhat startling for Japan to see these history questions spill over into a White House summit. On Friday, when asked by a Japanese reporter why he didn’t tell allies in Europe and Asia ahead of the U.S. attack on Iran, Trump cited Pearl Harbor to defend his decision, saying, ‘Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?” The liberal leaning Asahi newspaper said in an editorial Saturday that Trump’s comments “should not be overlooked.” “Making such a remark to justify a sneak attack and boast about its outcome is a piece of nonsense that ignores lesso

原文链接: AP News