Japanese leader faces a 'very difficult' meeting with Trump as he presses for help with Iran

Few world leaders seem to get along with President Donald Trump as well as Sanae Takaichi.

Few world leaders seem to get along with President Donald Trump as well as Sanae Takaichi. But the Japanese prime minister could be in for an earful when she visits the White House on Thursday, as Trump grows increasingly frustrated with the course of his war on Iran.

Takaichi, 65, will be the first leader of a major U.S. ally to meet with Trump since he demanded that a coalition of countries, including Japan, help protect the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route that Iran has effectively closed, disrupting global trade and sending energy prices soaring.

Before leaving for Washington on Wednesday, Takaichi told lawmakers that she expected the meeting with Trump to be “very difficult.”

But ahead of their meeting, Japan issued a joint statement with Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands which said they would "contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait,” and take steps to stabilize energy markets, while calling on Iran to halt its actions.

Nonetheless, Jeff Kingston, a professor of Asian studies and history at Temple University’s Japan campus, said it was “ hard to overestimate how much is at stake” for Takaichi “and she’s walking a tightrope because the Japanese public does not support the U.S. war in the Middle East at all.”