Trump's Pearl Harbor Joke Risks US-Japan Ties in Hormuz Crisis

The Impact

Tensions between Washington and Tokyo spiked overnight after President Trump's off-color Pearl Harbor joke landed flat in the Oval Office. Japanese officials and media erupted in scorn, calling it tone-deaf at best, inflammatory at worst—right when the US needs Japan's muscle in the Strait of Hormuz amid Iran's aggressive posturing. This gaffe doesn't just bruise egos; it threatens alliance cohesion at a flashpoint where 20% of global oil flows, potentially emboldening Tehran and...