Asked by Japanese Reporter about Attack on Iran, Trump References Pearl Harbor

There was a rare moment when US President Donald Trump met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House. Trump referenced the Pearl Harbor incident when asked about the reason for attacking Iran.

The meeting between Trump and Takaichi took place on Thursday (19/3) local time. Trump was initially asked by one of the Japanese reporters about the reason for not informing allies before the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.

Trump then gave his response immediately. He admitted wanting to surprise Iran.

“We didn’t tell anyone about it because we wanted it to be a surprise. Who knows more about surprises than Japan, okay?” Trump said in the Oval Office of the White House, as reported by AFP on Friday (20/3/2026).

Trump then continued his answer to the Japanese reporter’s question. Jokingly, he referenced the Pearl Harbor attack.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, okay?” Trump said.

Takaichi, who relied on a translator, said nothing but appeared to hold back a small sigh as she shifted in her chair. At least one groan was heard in the crowded room filled with US and Japanese reporters.

As is known, the Empire of Japan launched a preemptive strike on the main US base in the Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941, hoping to deliver a decisive blow before the US was expected to enter World War II.

More than 2,400 Americans were killed in the attack, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt described as a “date which will live in infamy”. The United States ended World War II by dropping two atomic bombs on Japan, the only use of nuclear weapons in history.