But Tokyo remains wary of offering direct military support in the Strait of Hormuz.
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.
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.”
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.
Read more in today’s World Brief: Trump Praises Japan’s Takaichi for ‘Stepping Up’ in Iran War.
This post is part of FP’s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration. Follow along here.
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