Japan PM’s Meeting with Trump at White House Focuses on Showing Solidarity with U.S. President Over Middle East Situation

By Kazuhiko Hori and Shinji Abe / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

2:00 JST, March 21, 2026

WASHINGTON — Amid escalating tensions over Iran, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi focused on seeking common ground with U.S. President Donald Trump over ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz during their talks at the White House on Thursday, thus demonstrating solidarity between their countries to the international community.

However, differences remain between the two countries over the strait, such as over Trump’s demands for Japan to send ships to help keep it open.

“I thought she was really good … I respect her a lot,” said Trump, looking calm as he praised Takaichi at the start of their talks at the Oval Office, which was open to reporters. “We’ve had a tremendous relationship,” he added.

Trump did not press Takaichi over Japan contributing to the safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The prime minister told him that Japan would support the United States in coordination with other nations.

Before the meeting, aides to Takaichi believed that it would be an extremely tough summit for her. Trump had reportedly become increasingly frustrated over the response to a request for Japan and some other nations to dispatch vessels to the strait in a social media post on March 14.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham revealed on his social media account earlier this week that he spoke with Trump by phone about the lack of positive responses, adding that he has “never heard him so angry in my life.”

An apparent turning point came when Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands released a joint statement about two hours before Thursday’s summit. In the statement, Japan and the five members of NATO — which Trump had criticized — said they “condemn in the strongest terms” the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran. Japan and the European countries pledged to “contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait.”

The joint statement aligns as close to the U.S. position as possible, and was meant to send a message to Trump to assure him that he is not alone and he won’t be isolated, according to an official who was accompanying Takaichi for her visit to Washington.

According to sources, the statement was spearheaded by the United Kingdom, which initially aimed to release it on Tuesday to quell market turmoil over crude oil prices. However, its release was delayed after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth learned of it and expressed a willingness to participate.

Japan, which aimed to use the joint statement as a gesture of goodwill to Trump, lobbied the other nations to move forward. In the end, the statement was released Thursday by the countries, which are neutral in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The joint statement does not clarify what the “appropriate efforts” entail to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. There are differing levels of commitments of the extent they would work with the U.S., which launched preemptive strikes that are suspected of violating international law. Therefore, the joint statement is an apparent effort to gain Trump’s favor through a vague declaration of intent.

The next challenge will be how soon concrete steps can be formulated and implemented to end the blockade.

Investments in U.S.

Early on in the talks with Trump, Takaichi said through an interpreter: “I also brought specific proposals to calm down the global energy market. Today I really look forward to having our discussion … particularly focusing on our collaboration in economic security, in the important areas such as energy and rare earth minerals, and I also look forward to discussing with you how we can make our two economies stronger moving forward.”

Bilateral collaborations in economic areas, such as energy, were among the major topics of their discussion. The prime minister proposed investments totaling up to $73 billion (about ¥11.6 trillion) in three business projects in the United States, including construction of next-generation nuclear reactors, to show Japan’s contribution to stabilizing energy costs.

Takaichi agreed with Trump on Japan’s investing in increased oil production in the United States and building up joint Japan-U.S. oil reserves. During the presidential campaign in 2024, Trump attracted support by calling for increased production of fossil fuels.

“Those collaboration proposals mesh with Trump’s intentions. A win-win effect can be expected, as Japan is being affected by the rising price of crude oil,” said a source close to the prime minister.

Regarding Japan-U.S. businesses collaborations, it will take at least several years for construction of relevant facilities to be completed, thereby leading to an increased supply of energy and electricity. There have been voices of concern even within the Japanese government, with some saying: “Those matters won’t directly help ‘measures for Hormuz.’ Will Trump be convinced?”

Nevertheless, Trump welcomed Takaichi while being busy dealing with the situation with Iran. Initially, they were scheduled to have an official luncheon, which was canceled to use the time for discussions. The U.S. side, which hosted Takaichi at a dinner instead, sees her visit as an opportunity to appeal to the domestic public about achievements in the area of the economy. After the talks, the White House released a written document with a list of the agreements made by Takaichi and Trump.

Curbing inflation was a theme of Trump’s 2024 presidential election campaign, but he has not been able to produce any notable achievements in that regard. Ahead of the midterm elections in November, Trump is hoping to show off results of his efforts, such as tariffs, as accomplishments made due to the diplomatic and political methods of his administration.

Check on China

The Japanese government initially anticipated that Thursday’s summit would be an opportunity for the two leaders to map out how to deal with China ahead of Trump’s scheduled visit to that country. Such a scenario did not actually happen as Trump’s trip to China has been postponed.

Even so, Takaichi promoted the strong Japan-U.S. alliance during her talks with Trump, as part of efforts to maintain Japan’s deterrence against China.

“We are facing an extremely severe security environment not only in the Middle East, but also in the Indo-Pacific,” Takaichi said at the start of the summit. “I am grateful that Donald places deep trust in us and is committed to our unshakable alliance.”

During closed-door discussions, the prime minister is believed to have sought Trump’s cooperation on the “free and open Indo-Pacific” concept promoted by Japan.

As the United States is focusing on its military operations in the Iran war, Japanese government officials are concerned that the regional situation could be destabilized if a power vacuum is created in East Asia. In fact, the U.S. military has been redeploying forces, such as dispatching to the Middle East an amphibious assault ship from the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet and a Marine Corps unit, both based in Japan.

In a bid to maintain deterrence against China, Takaichi focused on reaching agreements with Trump in the security field, such as by expressing Tokyo’s willingness to take part in Washington’s Golden Dome next-generation missile defense system. Such a concrete agreement was meant to “demonstrate to China how strong the Japan-U.S. alliance is,” said a senior government official.