Trump Compares US Attacks on Iran to Japan's Pearl Harbor Strike in Meeting with Japanese PM

U.S. President Donald Trump compared recent U.S. attacks on Iran to Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Responding to a question about why allies were not informed in advance, Trump said the element of surprise was intentional. "We wanted surprise. Who knows surprise better than Japan?" he said, referring to the Pearl Harbor attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii that killed more than 2,300 Americans and prompted the United States to enter World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the time described the day as "a date which will live in infamy." The war ended in 1945 following U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The remarks, made in the Oval Office at the White House, appeared to visibly surprise Takaichi, who showed a noticeable reaction.

Trump's comments drew mixed reactions in Japan. Some viewed them as inappropriate given the historical sensitivity, while others saw them as a joke. Yuta Nakamura, an engineer in Tokyo, said Takaichi was in a difficult situation but reacted well. Tokyo Washino, a retiree, said the remarks caused him discomfort given Japan's historical background.