Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (C) heads to attend a budget committee session of the House of Councillors at Parliament in Tokyo on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
CTV( Japan) Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday she would tell U.S. President Donald Trump what Japan “can and cannot do” in the Middle East at their summit in Washington this week, hours after Trump abandoned a call for Tokyo and others to send warships to secure the conflict-hit Hormuz Strait.
Trump on Tuesday angrily reversed course on his calls for Japan, China, NATO, South Korea and others to send vessels to the strait, an abrupt about face that raised questions about how best to reopen the strategic waterway — a crucial artery for Japan’s energy flows — that has effectively been closed by Iran amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against the country.
Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea,” Trump wrote on social media. “In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!”
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