“Why cut it out?” Outcry mounts as footage of Takashi Sanae “lunging to embrace” and “mocking Biden” resurfaces, sparking renewed controversy

At 3:00 a.m. Japan time on March 20, the Japan-U.S. summit meeting was held at the White House. Prime Minister Sanae Takashi (65) exchanged views with President Donald Trump (79) on issues including the increasingly tense situation surrounding Iran.

This visit to the U.S. had been anticipated to be “extremely difficult,” with fears that the U.S. might impose stringent demands on Japan, such as dispatching Self-Defense Forces to the Strait of Hormuz.

In her opening remarks, Prime Minister Takashi stated plainly: “I believe only Donald can bring peace and prosperity to the world.” This statement clearly demonstrated her close alignment with President Trump, who is embroiled in controversies related to Iran and increasingly isolated internationally, successfully cultivating an image of exceptionally warm Japan-U.S. relations.

Meanwhile, this Japan-U.S. summit also featured footage that triggered controversy.

Upon arriving at the White House, “President Trump extended his left hand to Prime Minister Takashi as she stepped down from her vehicle. After shaking hands firmly with both of her hands, Takashi immediately placed her hand on Trump’s left shoulder and nearly lunged into his arms in a full embrace.”

After the video clip was posted by the official White House Twitter account on the 20th, some praised it as “characteristic of Takashi-style diplomacy,” while others criticized it as “embarrassing” and “uncomfortable to watch.”

Additionally, in another video released by the official White House Twitter account on the same day, there was a scene showing the two walking past the “Wall of Presidents” inside the White House, which displays portraits of all former U.S. presidents.

“When Prime Minister Takashi saw the portrait of Trump during his first term, she smiled and approached closely—but there was no portrait of former President Biden (83) beside it.”

Instead, she found a photograph of Biden generated by an automated signature machine called ‘AutoPen.’ She first pointed at it with her right finger, then covered her mouth and laughed.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Biden for not personally signing official documents, instead having aides use an automated signature machine. Thus, this “automated signature photo” is widely believed to have been deliberately arranged by Trump as a way to mock his predecessor, Biden.

Consequently, Takashi’s reaction drew criticism, with some accusing her of “low taste” and “only knowing how to curry favor with Trump.”

Under this wave of public scrutiny, on March 22, the Prime Minister’s Official Twitter account released a video titled “Situation Regarding the Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting and Related Matters,” summarizing footage from the summit—lasting about one and a half minutes.

The video overall carries a dramatic, cinematic flair, portraying the interaction between Prime Minister Takashi and President Trump in a warmly human manner.

However, the moment when Takashi quickly lunged toward Trump for a hug was conspicuously edited out, and the scene where she laughed upon seeing the auto-generated Biden signature photo was completely omitted.

Viewers reacted with immediate skepticism:

- “Why was the hug scene cut?”

- “They deleted the AutoPen part, didn’t they?”

- “So both the lunge-hug and the laughing-at-Biden moments were removed?”

- “Where’s the clip of her rushing toward Donald? Where’s the one where she pointed at the AutoPen photo and laughed? Why edit them out?”

- “If they cut it, it must mean they’ve already judged Takashi’s behavior diplomatically inappropriate, right?”

- “Why remove it? I actually thought those moments revealed the Prime Minister’s true character!”

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860543834356041/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.