Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled Thursday to meet with President Trump at the White House as the U.S. commander-in-chief seeks assistance from allies to protect the Strait of Hormuz amid the war against Iran.
An Iranian blockade has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway off the coast of Iran where about 20% of the world’s oil is transported.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly called upon U.S. allies, including Japan, to help safeguard the strait and protect oil tankers. Japan and other allies have rebuffed his request.
Although Ms. Takaichi has said Japan has no plans to dispatch warships to the Middle East, she has not outright turned down Mr. Trump’s request.
The U.S. is Japan’s principal treaty ally, and Mr. Trump is expected to pressure Japan to deploy its vessels to the region.
A working lunch between Mr. Trump and Ms. Takaichi was cancelled to allow their summit meeting to last longer, according to Japan’s Jiji news agency, citing unnamed government sources.
Before departing for Washington, Ms. Takaichi told Japanese lawmakers that she will “clearly explain” to Mr. Trump “what we can do and cannot do based on the Japanese law.”
Japan’s unique legal system determines what the country can do when it comes to becoming involved in international disputes and its constitution forbids waging war as a means of settling disputes.
As of Thursday morning, only one scheduled event with Mr. Trump and Ms. Takaichi, an evening dinner, was open to the press.
The Iran war is deeply unpopular in her country. A recent poll in the Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun shows 82% of Japanese do not support the war and more than 50% are not satisfied with Ms. Takaichi’s reluctance to speak out about it.
In addition to the Iran war, Mr. Trump could press Ms. Takaichi for help with China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific. Originally, the meeting was to take place ahead of Mr. Trump’s planned trip to China later this month. That trip has been postponed because of the Iran war.
Japan has also promised a $550 billion investment package in the U.S. in exchange for lower U.S. tariffs, an issue that is expected to be a key part of the summit.
Mr. Trump could also press her on religious liberty issues. The Tokyo High Court earlier this month ordered the dissolution of the Unification Church, upholding a decision made last year by a lower court.
With the dissolution ordered, the church will lose its status as a religious organization and be limited to continuing its activities only as a voluntary organization that does not get tax benefits.
One of the church’s properties is The Washington Times.
Ms. Takaichi is the second world leader to visit Mr. Trump at the White House this week.
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin met with Mr. Trump on Tuesday, but largely steered clear of addressing the Iran war during the public portion of the meeting, saying only that Iran should not possess a nuclear weapon.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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