U.S. President Donald Trump startled Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday by referencing the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor during a friendly Oval Office meeting.

Trump, speaking to reporters about why he did not notify allies before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, said:
"We didn't tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK?"

Turning to Takaichi, the 79-year-old president added:
"Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?"

Takaichi, relying on an interpreter, did not respond verbally but appeared to suppress a sigh as she shifted in her chair. An audible groan was also heard in the room filled with U.S. and Japanese reporters.

Imperial Japan launched a pre-emptive strike on the U.S. Pacific base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941, killing more than 2,400 Americans and prompting President Franklin D. Roosevelt to call it "a date which will live in infamy." The U.S. ended World War II by dropping atomic bombs on Japan, the only use of nuclear weapons in history.

Wartime history remains a sensitive topic for Japan, which has cultivated a close alliance with the United States while seeking to move beyond memories of conflict. Takaichi herself is known for nationalist views, asserting that Japan fought a defensive war and has apologized excessively to other Asian nations.

Trump has a history of provocative historical references. Last year, he told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that the D-Day landing "was not a pleasant day for you." Merz responded that the operation liberated Germany from Nazi dictatorship.

Trump has defended his attack on Iran by claiming it was close to developing a nuclear weapon—a claim disputed by the U.N. nuclear watchdog and most analysts—and has called for Iranians to overthrow their clerical government, though he has stopped short of advocating regime change.