Trump gave Takaichi a 'pass' on Japan not sending 'warships' to the Middle East - Analyst

Record ID: 2367327

  • Title: Trump gave Takaichi a 'pass' on Japan not sending 'warships' to the Middle East - Analyst
  • Date: 20th March 2026
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (MARCH 20, 2026) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) EURASIA GROUP, SENIOR ANALYST, CHINA AND NORTHEAST ASIA, JEREMY CHAN, SAYING: “First of all, because we don't actually know when President Trump will travel to China. He indicated in his press gaggle with the prime minister that it would be a month and a half from the original date, which sugg
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Donald Trump Japan Jeremy Chan Sanae Takaichi analyst the U.S.
  • Location: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
  • City: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,North America,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA003592120032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Key takeaways from the meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (March 19)  included Trump's leniency on Japan's decision not to provide military support in the Middle East, according to Jeremy Chan, Senior Analyst at Eurasia Group.
    "President Trump gave Prime Minister Takaichi more or less a pass on Japan's inability or unwillingness to provide ‘warships’ or military support for the ongoing operation in the Middle East," Chan said.
    Chan noted that Japan "let down Trump and Washington very gently," opting instead to enhance defense spending and joint missile production, rather than directly supporting efforts in the Strait of Hormuz.
    A major agenda point was conveying regional concerns to Trump before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
    Chan stated that Takaichi sought to strengthen U.S.-Japan relations, a goal she "succeeded brilliantly" in achieving. However, gaining Trump's support to ease Japan-China tensions saw limited success due to the delay of Trump's China visit until May.
    The summit also saw the announcement of expanded U.S.-Japan cooperation, including $73 billion in Japanese investment in U.S. energy projects and plans to develop alternatives to Chinese minerals.
    "With roughly $70 billion in new investments announced, the sum is now over $100 billion," Chan said. Further investments before Trump's China visit "help keep Japan top of mind, I think, for Trump," added Chan.
    The two nations also announced plans to build small modular reactors in Tennessee and Alabama, costing up to $40 billion. Chan highlighted this as “the largest individual pledge that Japan has made to date,” aligning with U.S. priorities.
    During the meeting, Trump compared U.S. strikes on Iran to Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. "We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan?" Trump said. 
    “Obviously, that was unscripted. I think it caught the prime minister off guard a bit, but she did her best to try to move past it,” said Chan.
    (Production: Julio Chavez, Kyoko Gasha)
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