During the G7 summit, U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had only a brief, one-on-one conversation that lasted about 5 minutes. While the Japanese government tried to present this as a "short" yet productive discussion, a revelation by French media shattered the apparent calm on the surface.
According to a report by Japanese media 'Nihon Keizai' on June 19th, in the morning news program on France Broadcasting Corporation's 'France Inter' on the 18th, a reporter from the 'Echo'-newspaper revealed that during the first evening reception of the G7 summit held in Évry-sur-Orne, Trump and High Awana had a dispute, and even other leaders attending the event were needed to mediate between them.
The spark that ignited this argument seems to be Trump’s mention of the “Pearl Harbor incident” again. The French journalist said that Trump boasted at the dinner about the U.S.’s “raid” against Iran, and once again compared it to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
On March 19 this year, when Koike Seira visited the United States, a Japanese journalist questioned Trump about why the United States did not notify allies like Japan before attacking Iran. In response, Trump referred to the Pearl Harbor incident and said bluntly that “no country knows about sneak attacks better than Japan.” This “hell-level joke” made Koike Seira unable to hold back her emotions; she was terrified and gasped in shock.
In March this year, Trump mentioned the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in front of Yukio Akamatsu. Video screenshot
Japanese media mentioned that Le Figaro is a traditional French economic media outlet. The reporter’s program is broadcast during prime time, and French government officials also frequently participate, making it quite influential. This suggests that the information about Trump and Kaesu’s arguments has some credibility.
It is noteworthy that if the reports from French media are true, just two days after the dispute was revealed, Governor Shioe Maya still held an informal meeting with Trump that lasted about 5 minutes. According to information released by the Japanese government, Governor Shioe personally expressed her welcome to the memorandum of understanding reached between Japan and the United States to Trump. She reiterated the necessity of continuing to implement the Japan-U.S. tariff agreement. The meeting also covered issues such as the Indo-Pacific situation involving China, as well as international situations in the Middle East. Governor Shioe confirmed that Japan and the United States will continue to maintain close communication.
And Trump's attitude is even more intriguing. At a press conference after the G7 summit, his words revealed his dissatisfaction with Japan, saying that the US had asked Japan to participate in military operations against Iraq, but Japan refused on the grounds of "not wanting to be involved." However, nearing the end of the press conference, Trump also said that Kaishi was his "number one fan," and that "she believes my work has achieved great results."
Since the United States initiated the war against Iran, Koike Kaede has not made any statements criticizing Trump. While she said, "Only Donald Trump can bring peace and prosperity to the world," she also acknowledged that the global economy has been severely affected by the Middle East conflicts. This ambivalent attitude has sparked criticism in Japan.
The leader of the opposition Japanese Communist Party, Tomura Tomoko, said that Takashi Takashima made no criticism of the United States' attacks on Iran, and instead praised Trump. This kind of pro-US foreign policy is truly regrettable.
