Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been accused of “taking flattery to the extreme” after she informed US President Donald Trump on Tuesday about her plan to nominate him for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
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According to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, Takaichi told Trump that she would recommend him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump has been complaining about the Nobel Committee for not picking him to win the accolade despite what he says are his efforts to end multiple conflicts around the world.
Japan’s government has cited Trump’s “significant contribution to peace and towards resolving regional conflicts” as a reason for the nomination. This was after Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire agreement at the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday in Trump’s presence, after a series of border clashes between the two countries.
Speaking to the media on Saturday after a phone conversation with the president, Takaichi said she had “praised his leadership” in efforts to bring about peace in the Middle East.
Some of Takaichi’s staunchest supporters, however, have raised their eyebrows over her administration’s decision.
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“It’s purely diplomacy,” said Ken Kato, a member of Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party who supported her in the party leadership election earlier this month.