During an Oval Office meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on March 19, 2026, a Japanese reporter asked Trump why the U.S. had not told allies such as Japan before it began striking Iran on Feb. 28, saying Japanese citizens were “very confused” by it. Trump answered, “We didn't tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? OK? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor? OK? Right?”
The remark referenced Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, which killed more than 2,400 Americans and drew the United States into World War II. Trump used it to defend keeping allies in the dark, adding, “If I go and tell everybody about it, there's no longer a surprise.” CBS News reported that Takaichi appeared taken aback, her eyes momentarily widening; CNBC said she appeared to draw a deep breath and lean back with an uneasy expression.
The Associated Press reported “embarrassment, confusion and unease” in Japan afterward. The Asahi newspaper wrote in an editorial that “making such a remark to justify a sneak attack and boast about its outcome is a piece of nonsense that ignores lessons from history.” Takaichi had come to Washington to deepen ties with Japan's most important ally while Trump was pressing allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Correction (October 14, 2026): All seven original source links were dead or unverifiable and have been replaced with coverage from CBS News, Fox News, CNBC, The Hill and the Associated Press. Trump's quote has been corrected to the wording those outlets report (“Who knows better about surprise than Japan? OK? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”), the Pearl Harbor death toll is now given as “more than 2,400,” as the sources state it, the prime minister is now named, and an unsupported reference to “tensions in the Pacific” has been removed.