Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo on Oct. 28. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Although Japan framed a phone call between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump as a friendly interaction, the U.S. leader, in fact, called for an easing of Japan-China tensions, sources said.

During the call on Nov. 25, Trump suggested that steps be taken to de-escalate the situation amid China’s growing backlash over Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, the Japanese government sources said.

The Japanese and U.S. leaders confirmed that their countries will work together toward that end, they said.

“No specific actions were requested of Japan,” one source said. “It was agreed that Japan should respond calmly without rising to China’s provocations.”

But Trump did not express support for Takaichi’s suggestions in the Diet that Japan could use force during a Taiwan contingency, according to the sources.

With Trump now directly involved in the matter, the Takaichi administration must navigate a difficult response, taking into account the potential impact on Japan-U.S. relations.

Trump may have pointed to the need to defuse Japan-China tensions because an intensifying confrontation could adversely affect U.S.-China trade negotiations, which he prioritizes.

The Nov. 25 phone call was initiated at Trump’s request after the U.S. president spoke by phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping the previous day.

The Japanese government announced that Trump provided Takaichi with an update on recent U.S.-China relations, including his phone conversation with Xi, and that Takaichi and Trump reaffirmed their close coordination under the current international circumstances.

Trump also told Takaichi she should feel free to call him at any time, according to the announcement.

Asked about the call with Takaichi on Nov. 25, Trump told reporters: “I had a great talk. I have a very good relationship with her.”

But he did not touch on the substance of the discussion.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 26 that Trump advised Takaichi not to provoke the Chinese government over the Taiwan issue during the call, citing sources familiar with the conversation in both governments.

According to the newspaper, Trump recommended that Takaichi tone down her statements on Taiwan but did not pressure her to retract her remarks.

At a news conference on Nov. 27, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara partially denied the report, saying there was no such thing as “advice not to provoke the Chinese government.”

But Kihara refrained from commenting on other aspects of the report.

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