Japan rattled by Trump's WWII 'allies' remark to Xi, moves to coordinate with Washington

Tokyo scrambles to assess fallout as officials worry remark could fuel Chinese propaganda; Prime Minister Takaichi stresses strength of US-Japan alliance

From left, Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk sit together at a state dinner held in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Thursday (local time). [AFP]

The Japanese government is scrambling to assess the intent behind remarks by US President Donald Trump, who described the United States and China as "allies" during World War II at his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Officials in Tokyo have reacted with relative calm, saying they do not believe Washington made major concessions to Beijing on key issues such as Taiwan at the summit. However, they are closely watching whether Trump's remarks could be exploited by China in its historical and propaganda campaigns against Japan.

Trump made the comment Thursday (local time) at the White House in Washington, welcoming Xi ahead of their bilateral summit. He referenced the Flying Tigers — the American volunteer air unit that fought alongside Chinese forces against the Japanese military — and described China as a wartime ally.

Trump said the two countries had grown closer despite many differences in pursuit of shared interests, and that they had become allies during World War II.

Xi echoed the sentiment the same day in his remarks at the state dinner, saying, "More than 80 years ago, the people of our two countries fought shoulder to shoulder against Japanese militarist aggressors." He added, "This friendship, forged in blood and fire, must be passed down from generation to generation."

Within the Japanese government, there is undisguised embarrassment that Trump raised the wartime history before Xi had even done so.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met reporters at her official residence Friday and declined to comment directly, saying it was "a matter between third countries and not something I will address point by point," according to Japanese media reports Saturday.

She did, however, emphasize the strength of the US-Japan alliance. "There was a war between the United States and Japan, but afterward we achieved a firm reconciliation," she said. "We are now allies bound by very strong ties, in a relationship of mutual trust."

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi [Reuters]

Takaichi plans to schedule a phone call with Trump in the near future to receive a direct briefing on the substance of the US-China summit and to reaffirm Japan's position on China, NHK and Jiji Press reported.

Despite its concerns, the Japanese government believes that even as US-China relations warm, competition between the two countries over semiconductors and other sectors will continue, and that the risk of a rupture in the broad US-Japan partnership — including in economic security — remains low.

A senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official told local media that the US-China summit was "within the expected range."

Another Japanese government official said, "Under the current circumstances, isn't the actual output of US-China cooperation close to zero?"

Some observers assessed that Trump's reference to the wartime alliance amounted to little more than lip service aimed at facilitating negotiations with China.

Still, the Nikkei said the risk cannot be dismissed that Trump's historical framing could draw him into China's propaganda campaign against Japan.

The Yomiuri Shimbun wrote in an editorial that it was "deeply regrettable that the US-China summit was used as a stage for China's anti-Japan propaganda."

With two more US-China summits expected before the end of the year, the Japanese government plans to intensify contacts with Washington at multiple levels to strengthen coordination, sources said.

mokiya@heraldcorp.com