Pres. Trump asks Japan for help with Iran operations
Tells Japan’s Prime Minister there’s lots of reasons to step up
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - President Donald Trump on Thursday met with the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and put the hard-sell on Japan to help in the U.S.-led war with Iran.
Since the military campaign against Iran began 3 weeks ago, President Trump has asked allies to send naval ships to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open to cargo vessels. On Friday, he made that request directly to the Japanese Prime Minister.
The top item on the President’s agenda for his Oval Office meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was getting Japan’s cooperation in helping to make the Strait of Hormuz safe for oil tankers.
President Donald Trump told reporters, “Look, I expect Japan to step up because, you know, we have that kind of relationship and we step up for Japan. We have 45,000 soldiers in Japan. We have, we spent a lot of money on Japan. So. And we’ve had that kind of a relationship. So I expect I’m not surprised that they would step up. We don’t need much. We don’t need anything. I mean, honestly, we don’t need anything from Japan or from anyone else. But I think it’s appropriate that people step up. In the case of Japan, I hear they get more than 90% of their oil through the, the strait. So that’s a big reason to step up.”
Japan would be the first country to agree to provide military escorts for cargo ships going through the Strait. Separately, the President was asked why he didn’t consult with America’s allies – including Japan – before launching the military operation against Iran.
“Well, one thing you don’t want to signal too much. You know, when we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise in Japan? Okay. Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
As for the ongoing war with Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Thursday that he’s seeking $200 billion in new funding for Operation Epic Fury and other Pentagon initiatives. President Trump calls the request a “small price to pay” to make sure the U.S. military remains “tippy top” according to Trump.
Note, President Trump was born in 1946, five years after Pearl Harbor.
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