U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
President Donald Trump welcomed the new Prime Minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi, where the two discussed the aid Japan can provide to the United States regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump explained that 90 percent of the oil Japan gets is from the Strait of Hormuz. Japan agreed to step in and work on securing the strait and helping ships get through, but only once fighting stops.
A Japanese press person asked, "Japan and the U.S. are very good friends, but one question: Why didn't you tell U.S. allies in Europe and Asia, like Japan, about the war before attacking Iran? So, we are very confused..."
Trump responded, saying that it was a strategic decision and that he didn't want to signal to anyone that they were going to strike.
"We went in very hard and we didn't tell anyone about it because we wanted surprise," Trump said. "Who knows better about surprise than Japan. Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?"
Trump withdrew embassy staff from Israel but not those in other countries around the Persian Gulf. U.S. soldiers also were not all in secure locations. Six American soldiers were killed while working in a triple-wide trailer when a drone hit them from above.