Trump Praises Japan’s Takaichi for ‘Stepping Up’ in Iran War

Words Over Deeds

It hasn’t been an easy week for U.S. President Donald Trump. NATO’s European members are refusing Washington’s calls for help in the Strait of Hormuz. Domestic U.S. support for the Iran war remains divided as U.S. military spending rises. And oil prices are hitting record highs amid an unprecedented disruption to global energy flows. But, in Trump’s telling, at least Japan has the United States’ back.

Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House on Thursday, during which he praised Tokyo for “really stepping up to the plate” on Iran, “unlike NATO.” Although Japan has also stopped short of deploying forces to the strait, Takaichi has doubled down on her pro-Trump rhetoric, perhaps hoping that words appease the White House as much as actions do.

In her remarks in the Oval Office, Takaichi acknowledged that the global economy will take a “huge hit” due to the war. However, she added: “Even against that backdrop, I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world.” She also agreed that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, and she told Trump that Japan has “specific proposals to calm down global energy markets.”

Still, Takaichi looked uncomfortable when Trump cracked a joke about Japan’s 1941 attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. When asked by a reporter why Washington didn’t inform Tokyo or its European allies ahead of its initial strikes on Iran, Trump said: “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?” Takaichi did not laugh, nor did she respond.

Since taking office last October, Takaichi has walked a fine line between pleasing Trump and assuaging Japanese citizens, who largely remain opposed to the Iran war despite voting in favor of Takaichi’s shift away from Japan’s post-World War II pacifist constitution.

Just hours before departing for Washington on Wednesday, Takaichi promised Japan’s parliament that she would “do everything to maximize [Japan’s] national interest” in anticipation of a “very difficult” conversation with Trump. That included issuing a joint statement on Thursday with France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, in which the countries vowed to take steps to stabilize energy markets and expressed their “⁠readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait.”

However, it’s unclear what those contributions might look like. “We don’t need much. We don’t need anything. … We don’t need anything from Japan or from anyone else,” Trump said. “But I think it’s appropriate that people ​step up.” U.S. Treasury Scott Bessent told Fox Business on Thursday that the White House expects Japan, which gets around 95 percent of its crude from the Gulf, to want to ensure its supplies are safe.

Meanwhile, reports emerged on Thursday that the U.S. Defense Department had requested $200 billion in additional funding from Congress for the Iran war. “It takes money to kill bad guys,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, with Trump separately adding that such a sum would be “a small price to pay to make sure that we stay tippy-top.” But analysts warn that rising costs could worsen public opinion toward the already divisive military campaign.

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What We’re Following

Show me the oil. The European Union failed on Thursday to break deadlock over a nearly $104 billion loan package to Ukraine. During an hourlong summit in Brussels, nearly every EU leader argued in favor of unlocking the aid, saying it was vital to help Ukraine in its war against Russia. However, Hungary (with Slovakia’s support) opposed the deal and said it would continue to do so until Kyiv restores oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline.

“We’re waiting for the oil. The rest is just fairy tales,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, even after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Tuesday that Kyiv would repair the damaged pipeline, which transports Russian crude through Ukraine into Hungary.

Orban, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, stressed that he didn’t trust Zelensky, and he reiterated claims that Kyiv was blocking the oil for political reasons—namely, to tip the scales in favor of Orban’s main opponent in upcoming elections. Zelensky, however, maintains that the disruption is the result of Russian “terrorist attacks on the pipeline and surrounding infrastructure.”

European leaders blasted Orban’s decision on Thursday, accusing Hungary of reneging on its promise in December to back the loan. “The EU shouldn’t become a playing field in Hungary’s domestic policy,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.

A decline in happiness. Heavy social media usage contributes to a decline in young people’s well-being, according to the 2026 World Happiness Report, published on Thursday by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre. Specifically, the report cites evidence showing that long hours spent scrolling on social media have led to a significant drop in life evaluations for those under age 25 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.

“All internet activities are associated with lower life satisfaction at very high rates of use, especially for girls and for those in the UK and Ireland,” the report states.

The report comes as many countries are considering imposing minimum age requirements for social media usage. Australia became the first nation to do so in December, restricting access to popular platforms—such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube—for children under age 16. Several European nations as well as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia have followed suit, proposing or enacting similar legislation aimed at reducing social media risks to young people.

Trading blame. An alleged Iranian airstrike killed at least three people and wounded 13 others in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Wednesday. According to the Israeli military, the missile—which struck a hair salon in the town of Beit ​Awwa—was believed to have been caused by an Iranian cluster munition. If confirmed, the attack would mark the first lethal Iranian strike on the Palestinian territory since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began last month.

However, Palestinian officials have argued that an errant Israeli aerial defense interceptor caused the damage. Experts consider the West Bank an unlikely target for Iran, which has repeatedly focused its attacks on major Israeli cities, such as Tel Aviv and Haifa. Yet, in practice, Iran’s use of unguided cluster munitions has resulted in smaller bomblets indiscriminately dispersing over nearby civilian areas.

Tehran has stepped up its assault on Israel in recent days, firing a slew of missiles out of “revenge” for Israel killing senior Iranian officials, including security chief Ali Larijani; Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij paramilitary force; and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib. Israel’s Health Ministry reported on Thursday that in the past 24 hours, at least 177 people in Israel were taken to hospitals for injuries.

Odds and Ends

Apparently, Australia’s wildlife does not stay outdoors. Travelers at Tasmania’s Hobart Airport spotted a living brushtail possum peeking out from the shelves of a gift shop on Wednesday. The critter was found tucked among a display of stuffed kangaroos before too much attention made it scamper out of the store. “I’m imagining it saw some of the plush animals that were for sale on the shelf, and it decided to make its home with those,” airport retail manager Liam Bloomfield said on Thursday. Don’t worry, though: Airport staff were able to remove the little rascal from the airport unharmed.