Trump’s biggest cheerleader? Why Japan’s Takaichi is making waves in China

A White House photo of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appearing to break into a dance at an official function ignited a wave of mockery across Chinese social media on the weekend, with commenters framing her as Washington’s biggest cheerleader. The photograph, the first in an official White House gallery from her summit with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, captures Takaichi in a moment of unbridled exuberance during a welcome reception. Making her first trip to Washington since taking office in October, the Japanese leader stands with both fists pumped high and mouth wide open, as a band plays behind her. Takaichi’s animated expression is a sharp contrast to the formal White House photos of Trump’s meetings in recent months with the president of Ukraine and prime minister of Israel. In Japan, some commenters criticised Takaichi’s demeanour as servile, accusing her “sycophantic diplomacy” that was inconsistent with the dignified approach expected of a head of state. Others dismissed the viral photo as “selective editing” meant to embarrass Tokyo. The photo was released after an awkward moment as Trump fielded questions from the media with Takaichi at his side. When a Japanese journalist asked Trump why the US had not warned allies about striking Iran on February 28, the president referenced Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, which propelled the United States into World War II. “Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbour? OK, right?” Trump said, drawing laughter from those in the room. In footage of the meeting, Takaichi’s eyes widened as she absorbed the remark about the attack that killed more than 2,400 Americans. In the decades since that attack, leaders on both sides have carefully navigated their painful legacy. In 2016, then-Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbour, offering “sincere and everlasting condolences”. A Japanese bomb detonated explosives stored on the USS Arizona during the Pearl Harbour attack, sinking it and killing nearly 1,200 of its crew. Earlier in 2016, Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima, one of two Japanese cities hit with US atomic bombs during the war. Those gestures were celebrated as milestones of reconciliation, making Trump’s offhand joke all the more striking to observers. On China’s various social media platforms including Weibo and Douyin, the fist-pumping image and the episode about Pearl Harbour were shared tens of thousands of times, with biting captions. “This is the epitome of grovelling,” a commenter wrote in one viral post that attracted more than half a million likes. “Eighty years later, Japan still has not stood up to America.” “The Pearl Harbour comment was a humiliation, and Takaichi smiled through it,” wrote another. “China would never accept such treatment.” Chinese state-affiliated media amplified the sentiment. Several nationalist tabloid commentators noted the stark contrast between Takaichi’s posture and the “measured manner” of European leaders towards Trump, suggesting Japan had been reduced to “America’s cheerleader”. This wave of online criticism follows months of tension between Beijing and Tokyo since Takaichi publicly linked a hypothetical Taiwan contingency with the possible deployment of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces. Beijing responded with travel advisories for Chinese tourists planning to visit Japan and export restrictions on “dual-use” technology and military-related entities, accusing Japan of re-militarisation – a move that Tokyo has condemned as unjustified. Takaichi’s trip to the US has been interpreted as a strategic move by Tokyo to strengthen its alliances amid regional uncertainties. Trump postponed a planned visit to Beijing this month, citing the war in Iran, while Takaichi arrived in Washington bearing US$73 billion in investment pledges and agreements to shift Japan’s energy reliance away from the Middle East towards US-supplied crude. Japan’s reaffirmation of its commitment to a security pact in the Indo-Pacific and its cooperation with the US on critical minerals, energy security and military modernisation are viewed as efforts to counterbalance China’s growing influence and perceived assertiveness in the region.

Trump’s biggest cheerleader? Why Japan’s Takaichi is making waves in China

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}White House photo of Japanese prime minister apparently dancing to a band draws derision on Chinese social media

White House photo of Japanese prime minister apparently dancing to a band draws derision on Chinese social media