President Donald Trump on Thursday compared U.S. strikes on Iran to Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The remarks came during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House.
Trump defended his surprise attacks on Iran, saying the U.S. wanted to catch Tehran off guard. “Who knows better about surprise than Japan?” he said, referencing the historic Pearl Harbor attack. He added, “Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
The Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, drew the U.S. into World War II and killed 2,390 Americans. President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously called it “a date which will live in infamy.” The war eventually ended after U.S. atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, which caused massive civilian casualties.
During the Oval Office meeting, Takaichi appeared visibly uncomfortable but maintained her composure. Observers in Tokyo noted that the Japanese leader handled the moment carefully to avoid public backlash.
Citizens in Japan expressed mixed reactions to Trump’s comparison. Some saw it as a joke, while others found it unsettling given the historical context. “As a Japanese citizen, I feel uneasy hearing this,” said Tokio Washino, a retiree.
