19.03.2026 22:40
The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi turned into an unexpected controversy. In response to the question asked at the press conference, "Why didn't you inform your allies before attacking Iran?" Trump replied, "We wanted a surprise. Who knows better about surprises than Japan?" thereby disregarding the rules of diplomatic courtesy.
US President Donald Trump made headlines in the diplomatic agenda with his statements during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Trump's response to the question of why allies were not informed before a possible attack on Iran drew attention due to its reference to a historical event.
"WE WANTED IT TO BE A SURPRISE"
In response to a reporter's question, "Why didn't you inform your allies before attacking Iran?" Trump said, "We wanted it to be a surprise. Who knows better about surprises than Japan?" Trump also continued his explanation with the words, "Why didn't you mention Pearl Harbor to me?"
At that moment, the silence of the guest Prime Minister was noteworthy.
REFERENCE TO A HISTORICAL EVENT
Trump's words were interpreted as a reference to the Pearl Harbor attack. Japan launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, an event that led to the US entering World War II.
A SURPRISE FOR JAPAN!
The surprise mentioned by the US President was interpreted as a reference to the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. At the end of World War II, the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and on Nagasaki on August 9 to accelerate Japan's surrender: The bombs, dropped with the approval of then US President Harry Truman, are the only nuclear attacks in history that resulted in the deaths of over 200,000 people.