Trump presses, "I expect Japan to play a role"... Takaichi: "Iran must never go nuclear"

Financial News, New York – Correspondent Lee Byung-chulPresident Donald Trump held a summit with Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi at the White House on the 19th (local time). He said, "Japan is clearly playing a role on the Iran issue" and added, "It is different from NATO." At the same time, he signaled that he expects Japan to respond even more actively.
Prime Minister Takaichi stated, "I have brought concrete proposals to help stabilize energy markets," stressing that "the Islamic Republic of Iran must never possess nuclear weapons."
President Donald Trump said, "I expect Japan to take a proactive role," noting, "That is the kind of relationship we have, and there are 45,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan."
He went on, "We are not asking for much. Frankly, we do not want anything from Japan or from anyone." Even so, he emphasized, "But it is appropriate for each country to step up and take an active role."
On the surface, he drew a line by saying that he did not need help, but in effect he delivered a message calling for greater burden-sharing by allies. His remarks are widely seen as pressure for more direct contributions, such as dispatching warships in the event the Strait of Hormuz is effectively blocked.
Prime Minister Takaichi reiterated Japan’s principled position of firmly opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons.
She said, "Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons can never be tolerated," criticizing the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on neighboring countries.
She also offered diplomatic support by saying, "The person who can bring peace and prosperity to the world is President Trump."
However, she did not publicly mention any specific role for Japan or concrete plans for military contributions.
This is seen as an attempt to maintain a cautious stance on military involvement, given the constraints of Japan’s pacifist constitution and domestic public opinion.
Prime Minister Takaichi is the first leader of a country directly involved to meet President Donald Trump in person since he openly called on South Korea, Japan and European allies to send forces to the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysts say the summit serves as a major test of how willing U.S. allies really are to respond.


pride@fnnews.com Correspondent Lee Byung-chul Reporter