Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sought to reaffirm her alliance with President Donald Trump after the president this week seemed to complain that Japan was among the nations that did not quickly join his call to help protect the Strait of Hormuz.

Ms. Takaichi, who met with Mr. Trump at the White House, told the Republican President that Japan has opposed Iran’s development of its nuclear programme and appealed to his desire to be seen as a peacemaker, despite his launching a war of choice with Iran.

She told the U.S. President through an interpreter that in the West Asia and around the world now, there was “a very severe security environment,” but said, “Even against that backdrop, I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world.” The two leaders had warm words for each other, including Trump calling the prime minister a “popular, powerful woman,” but there appeared to be some tension as they faced repeated questions from reporters about Japan’s support for the Iran war.

As Mr. Trump took questions from reporters during the roughly 30-minute public appearance with the Prime <inister in the Oval Office before their closed-door meeting, Ms. Taikaichi could be seen checking her watch. And then Mr. Trump made a particularly uncomfortable remark — invoking Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor — when he was asked why the U.S. didn’t notify allies like Japan ahead of the strikes on Iran.

“We didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?” Mr. Trump joked.

As Mr. Trump said that, Ms. Takaichi’s slight smile appeared to drop, and she raised her eyebrows.

Earlier Thursday (March 19, 2026), the leaders of five European countries and Japan issued a joint statement demanding that Iran stop attacks on the Strait of Hormuz that block commercial shipping, and said they are ready to contribute to “appropriate efforts” to ensure ships can pass safely through the strait, though it is not clear what that entails.

Mr. Trump told reporters that he and Ms. Takaichi would be discussing in their meeting Japan’s level of support for the U.S. in the Iran war, saying, “They are really stepping up to the plate.” He did not offer details.

He later said that much of the oil Japan relies on passes through the Strait of Hormuz and said, “so that’s a big reason to step up. He also mentioned US spending in Japan and the number of troops it has stationed there.

“I expect Japan to step up, you know, because we have that kind of relationship,” Mr. Trump said.

A nuclear reactor deal announcement is expected

Ms. Taikaichi’s meeting at the White House, followed by a dinner Thursday (March 19, 2026) night, was supposed to give Japan’s new Prime Minister a prime opportunity to have Trump’s ear before he embarked on a trip to China.

But now, the war in Iran and Mr. Trump’s call for Japan and other nations to help protect the vital Strait of Hormuz means the China trip has been delayed. Trump had repeatedly complained on camera and online this week that US allies, including Japan, did not heed his request to help safeguard the critical waterway for oil and gas transport. He later declared the help wasn’t needed, but made other comments indicating he still expected help.

The Prime Minister acknowledged before she left Japan that she expected her meeting with Trump would be “very difficult.” Beyond facing questions about Iran, Ms. Takaichi and Mr. Trump on Thursday (March 19, 2026) are expected to announce a $40 billion nuclear reactor deal, according to a White House official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details before the announcement.

Under the deal, U.S.-based GE Vernova Inc. and Japan-based Hitachi Ltd. will build advanced small modular reactors in Tennessee and Alabama, the official said. The deal aims to help stabilise electricity prices and expand power generation in the U.S.

The meeting carries high stakes

Kurt Campbell, the former US deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration and now chair of The Asia Group, said that to press for Japan’s interests, Takaichi needed to find a way to suggest that Japan is part of the U.S. plan in the West Asia.

“She’s going to want to come out of that as a partner in this case and realize that if she can do that, that she can translate that potentially into the president listening more to Japanese concerns about Taiwan or other issues,” Mr. Campbell said.

The constraints on Japan’s involvement in Iran include a provision in its post-World War II constitution that bans the use of force except to defend its territory. The country’s military is called the Self-Defense Force.

Christopher Johnstone, a partner and chair of the defense and national security practice at The Asia Group, said Japan could help with minesweeping and has had “a small naval presence” in the region as part of an anti-piracy mission for at least a decade. But to join the U.S. mission would require Ms. Takaichi to clear “an exceptionally high bar politically to invoke collective self-defense” that has never been done before.

Published – March 20, 2026 05:56 am IST

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan September 7, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba casts his vote in the first round of a parliamentary vote to nominate a prime minister following the October 27 general election, during a special session of parliament in Tokyo on November 11, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Japan’s parliament re-elected Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday (November 11, 2024) after his governing coalition suffered the worst election loss in more than a decade.

Mr. Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito together lost their majority in the 465-seat Lower House, the more powerful of Japan’s two-house parliament, in the October 27 election due to continued voter outrage over financial misconduct by his party and its lukewarm response.

A special parliamentary session convened Monday to pick a new leader in a vote required within 30 days of a general election. In the past, these votes did not attract as much attention because an LDP leader was virtually assured to be prime minister. Mr. Ishiba beat top opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda 221-160 in the first runoff in 30 years.

Most of his previous Cabinet members will be reappointed, but Mr. Ishiba will have to replace three who lost their seats or were affected by the election results.

Since the election loss, Mr. Ishiba has refused to step down, saying he is willing to cooperate with additional coalition partners to boost stability and help him pursue his party’s policies. Mr. Noda, head of the centrist opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, has sought to form an opposition coalition — but so far unsuccessfully.

Mr. Ishiba will struggle in the coming months as he must gain consent from the opposition on policies including the budget and other legislation.

He is eyeing a rising smaller, conservative opposition, the Democratic Party for the People, whose seats quadrupled to 28 under its popular leader Yuichiro Tamaki.

A Harvard-educated former Finance Ministry bureaucrat, Mr. Tamaki has proposed raising the basic tax-free income allowance and increasing take-home wages, ideas that attracted low-income earners and younger voters in the election. He only wants to cooperate with Ishiba’s party on policy — not as part of a coalition — since he wants to use his leverage to increase his party’s standing ahead of the next election.

Mr. Tamaki was recently stung by a magazine article exposing an extramarital affair, which he admitted to on Monday, adding to political uncertainty.

Mr. Ishiba’s government is preparing for his trip later this month to ASEAN and Group of 20 summits, as well as a possible meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on his way home.

Tokyo, Japan:

Japan got a new prime minister on Tuesday, with Shigeru Ishiba setting out to jumpstart a lacklustre economy, defuse a demographic crisis and build an Asian NATO to face down China.

Ishiba, 67, says he intends to call a general election for October 27. He won a tight race on Friday to lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed almost continuously for decades.

The former defence minister outlined his policies at a news conference late on Tuesday, warning that “the security environment surrounding our country is the most severe since the end of World War II”.

“With the Japan-US alliance as a foundation, we will expand the circle of friendly and like-minded countries, using diplomacy and defence to realise the peace of Japan and the region,” he said.

Ishiba’s new cabinet of 19 ministers was announced after the LDP-dominated parliament approved his appointment. Just two were women, who have historically been poorly represented in politics and business in Japan.

Foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa, one of five women in the outgoing cabinet, was replaced by Takeshi Iwaya. Katsunobu Kato, who was health minister during the Covid pandemic, was named finance minister, while Gen Nakatani took defence.

Ishiba, who has held at least three previous ministerial posts, tried and failed four times before to become LDP leader.

He finally succeeded this time because, while a divisive figure within the party, he is relatively popular among voters, analysts said, unlike his predecessor Fumio Kishida.

Ishiba’s win “indicates that the LDP sought an experienced leader with broad voter appeal to steer the party in the next national election”, said Yuko Nakano of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“… Ishiba will have the opportunity to reshape the party’s internal dynamics and restore public confidence, while addressing Japan’s broader challenges, including economic stagnation felt by many voters and regional security concerns” if the LDP and its junior coalition partner win an election, Nakano said.

Tumbling stocks

Markets reacted negatively to his selection, with the Nikkei plunging almost five percent on Monday. The benchmark index recovered some ground on Tuesday, closing up 1.9 percent.

Ishiba’s backing of interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan has sent the yen higher, while the prospect of corporate tax hikes has worried investors.

Kato, 68, told Bloomberg News last month that Japan should “keep moving” on interest rates and inflation after years of stagnant prices and borrowing costs “created structural distortions”.

“The Japanese economy stands on the brink of whether to emerge from deflation,” Ishiba said on Tuesday, pledging to continue Kishida’s work.

The military is expected to be another focus for Ishiba, a self-professed defence “geek”.

Kishida undertook to double defence spending and boost ties with the United States and other countries rattled by China’s rise and the behaviour of Russia and North Korea.

A Japanese warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait for the first time last week after a Chinese aircraft carrier steamed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan a week earlier.

Japan has also scrambled fighter jets on multiple occasions in recent weeks to respond to activity by Russian and Chinese aircraft, including in its airspace.

Ishiba, who visited Taiwan in August, backs the creation in the region of a military alliance along the lines of NATO, with its tenet of collective defence.

“Replacing Russia with China and Ukraine with Taiwan, the absence of a collective self-defence system like NATO in Asia means that wars are likely to break out because there is no obligation for mutual defence,” Ishiba said in a recent policy paper.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Amid scandals and turmoil, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has selected former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba as its new leader. On Tuesday, he will also take on the role of Prime Minister, as the LDP holds a majority in Parliament.

Of late, the ruling dispensation, which has been in power in Japan for most of the post-War era, has seen much turbulence due to internal conflicts and corruption, leading to a plunge in its approval ratings. Japan is also dealing with high inflation and a stagnant economy. Mr. Ishiba has promised to clean up the party, bolster the economy and address national security challenges.

The 67-year-old, who will take over as Japan’s 102nd Prime Minister, is no political novice, having been in politics for four decades.

Mr. Ishiba was born on February 5, 1957 in the rural Tottori prefecture, where his father was Governor. He graduated in 1979 with a law degree from Keio University and joined Mitsui Bank. After a short banking career, Mr. Ishiba began his political career in Tottori prefecture, and was elected to Parliament in 1986. He has held several positions in government, and served as Defence Minister as well as Agriculture and Forestry Minister.

He has been a member of the LDP for most of his political career, save a four-year stint in an Opposition party from 1993 to 1997. Within the LDP, Mr. Ishiba is a part of the more progressive wing, often serving as a dissenting voice and inviting the ire of his colleagues with his views running counter to the party line. He was a vocal critic of former Prime Ministers, including outgoing PM Fumio Kishida. His approach reportedly made it difficult for him to garner the 20 votes needed to qualify as a candidate for Friday’s LDP election, with support mainly coming from rank-and-file members of the LDP.

Mr. Ishiba has been viewed as an “intellectual heavyweight” in the party. He is considered an expert on national security policy and has sought to bolster Japan’s security against external threats, such as Russia, China and North Korea. He has also advocated for lower dependence by the Japanese government on its ally, the U.S, for security support, and called for greater oversight over bases used by U.S forces stationed in Japan. He has suggested the creation of an Asian NATO and a say in how the U.S would use nuclear weapons in Asia.

Reform plans

During his campaign, he mooted changes in governance, suggesting that some Ministries be moved out of Tokyo so as to boost development in other regions. He has also proposed a new agency to oversee the construction of emergency shelters across the country, which is susceptible to natural disasters.

Mr. Ishiba has previously questioned the increased use of nuclear energy and advocated for renewable energy, but has since softened his stance on the matter, saying he would let some reactors remain operational in Japan.

The LDP, which was formed in 1955, has invited public wrath of late. It drew flak for its association with the controversial Unification Church, which has been characterised as a cult by detractors. Further, there were allegations of under-reporting of political funding by party factions over several years, which led to the dissolution of five out of six factions. Japan’s economy faces other challenges—a 30-year-high inflation, ballooning food prices, a weak yen, and stagnant growth. Other issues include an ageing population and challenges within the labour market.

Outgoing PM Kishida declared last month that he would not be seeking re-election, stating in a press conference that it was necessary to show the people that the LDP will change, ahead of the legislative election set to take place before October 2025.

Now, it’s Mr. Ishiba’s responsibility to bring in those changes and make the party and the government better-equipped to tackle the economic and social challenges Japan is facing.

Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara (centre) delivers his statement with Philippines’ Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.,(not in picture) during a meeting to discuss bilateral ties and defence, as well as regional security, in Philippines, on July 8, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Japan and the Philippines signed a key defence pact on July 8 allowing the deployment of Japanese forces for joint military exercises, including live-fire drills, to the Southeast Asian nation that came under brutal Japanese occupation in World War II but is now building an alliance with Tokyo as they face an increasingly assertive China.

“The Reciprocal Access Agreement, which similarly allows Filipino forces to enter Japan for joint combat training, was signed by Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in a Manila ceremony witnessed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It would take effect after ratification by the countries’ legislatures,” Philippine and Japanese officials said.

Mr. Kamikawa called the signing of the defence agreement “a groundbreaking achievement” that should further boost defense cooperation between Japan and the Philippines.

“A free and open international order based on the rule of law is the foundation of regional peace and prosperity,” she said. “We would like to work closely with your country to maintain and strengthen this.”

Mr. Kamikawa and Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara later held talks with their Philippine counterparts on ways to further deepen relations. The defence pact with the Philippines is the first to be forged by Japan in Asia. Japan signed similar accords with Australia in 2022 and with Britain in 2023.

Under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the Japanese government has taken steps to boost its security and defensive firepower, including a counterstrike capability that breaks from Japan’s postwar principle of focussing only on self-defence, amid threats from North Korea and China’s growing assertiveness. It’s doubling defense spending in a five-year period to 2027 in a move to bolster its military power and make Japan the world’s third-biggest military spender after the United States and China.

Many of Japan’s Asian neighbours, including the Philippines, came under Japanese aggression until its defeat in World War II and Japan’s efforts to bolster its military role and spending could be a sensitive issue. Japan and the Philippines, however, have steadily deepened defence and security ties.

Mr. Kishida’s moves dovetail with Mr. Marcos’ effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend Manila’s territorial interests in the South China Sea. The busy sea passage is a key global trade route which has been claimed virtually in its entirety by China but also contested in part by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

The United States has also been strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan, and reassure its Asian allies. Japan and the Philippines are treaty allies of the U.S. and their leaders held three-way talks in April at the White House, where President Joe Biden renewed Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to defend Japan and the Philippines.

Japan has had a longstanding territorial dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea. Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy ships, meanwhile, have been involved in a series of tense confrontations in the South China Sea since last year.

In the worst confrontation so far, Chinese coast guard personnel armed with knives, spears and an axe aboard motorboats repeatedly rammed and destroyed two Philippine navy supply vessels on June 17 in a chaotic faceoff in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal that injured several Filipino sailors. Chinese coast guard personnel seized seven navy rifles.

The Philippines strongly protested the Chinese coast guard’s actions and demanded $1 million for the damage and the return of the rifles. China accused the Philippines of instigating the violence, saying the Filipino sailors strayed into what it called Chinese territorial waters despite warnings.

Japan and the United States were among the first to express alarm over the Chinese actions and call on Beijing to abide by international laws. Washington is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

An aerial photo of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan. File
| Photo Credit: AP

“The first phase of releasing treated waste water from Fukushima that has angered China will end on September 11 as planned,” the stricken Japanese nuclear plant’s operator said.

“TEPCO added that levels of radioactive tritium in tested seawater samples near the plant in north-east Japan were within safe limits,” according to a statement on September 7.

Why is Japan planning to flush Fukushima wastewater into the ocean?

Japan began on August 24 discharging into the Pacific some of the 1.34 million tonnes of waste water that has collected since a tsunami crippled the facility in 2011.

Japan insists that the discharge is safe, a view backed by the UN atomic agency, but China banned all seafood imports from its neighbour, accusing it of treating the sea like a “sewer”.

Announcing the end of the first phase of releasing 7,800 tonnes of the water on September 11, TEPCO gave no date for the start of the second discharge.

“After completion of the first discharge, we will conduct an inspection of (the) entire … water dilution/discharge facility and review the operational records from the first discharge,” it said.

It added that a “leak alarm” sounded on Wednesday in a waste water transfer line, but that no leak was detected. Staff “quickly conducted a field inspection in accordance with safety check procedures and it was confirmed that there was no leak of… treated water,” the statement said.

The water, equivalent to 540 Olympic pools’ worth, has been used to cool the three reactors that went into meltdown in 2011, in one of the world’s worst nuclear catastrophes.

Japan says that all radioactive elements have been filtered out except tritium, levels of which are well within safe limits and below that released by nuclear plants in their normal operations around the world.

How Japan plans to release Fukushima water into the ocean

The release, which is expected to take decades to complete, is aimed at making space to begin removing the highly dangerous radioactive fuel and rubble from the wrecked reactors.

Last week Prime Minister Fumio Kishida publicly ate fish from Fukushima in an effort to reassure consumers, as did the U.S. Ambassador to Japan in a show of support.

The government on Monday also beefed up an aid package for the fishing sector following the seafood import ban by China, Japan’s biggest export market for fish.