U.S. President Donald Trump did not convey any concerns about the current Japan-China feud in a telephone call with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Nov. 25, sources said.

While Japanese officials are hoping for U.S. support amid the Chinese backlash over Takaichi’s remarks concerning Taiwan, Trump’s words and actions have, in fact, heightened anxiety in Japan.

During the call, Trump briefed Takaichi on the content of his telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the previous day.

According to Japanese government sources, the U.S. president shared with Takaichi the substance of his discussions with Xi on Taiwan.

A senior official at the prime minister’s office described the Taiwan issue as “one of many topics covered.”

After the call, Takaichi told reporters, “Following President Trump’s visit to Japan (in October), we were able to reaffirm the close coordination between Japan and the United States.”

But she would not describe the content of the discussion with Trump.

“As these are diplomatic exchanges, I will refrain from going into detail,” she said.

This was the first time Trump had spoken separately with Xi and Takaichi since the Japanese leader said in the Diet on Nov. 7 that Japan could use force during a Taiwan contingency.

A senior Foreign Ministry official said, “The relationship built during Trump’s visit to Japan led to this phone call.”

But there is a prevailing sense of unease in Japan over how Trump will respond to Takaichi’s remarks. The greatest worry lies in the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s stance on Taiwan and related issues.

Trump, as head of the U.S. administration, has not publicly expressed support for Takaichi amid the Japan-China confrontation.

“Trump is taking a cautious position on the Taiwan issue,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said.

During the phone conversation on Nov. 24, Xi reiterated to Trump that China would not compromise on Taiwan, the Chinese government said.

“The return of Taiwan to China is an important component of the postwar international order,” Xi told Trump, according to China’s Foreign Ministry.

Trump responded that the United States understands the importance of the Taiwan issue to China, the government said.

After the talks with Xi, Trump wrote on social media, “Our relationship with China is extremely strong!”

He made no mention of Taiwan in the post.

Following his meeting with Xi on Nov. 1, Trump described the U.S.-China relationship as “G-2,” short for the “Group of Two.”

From Japan’s perspective, this could be interpreted as the United States and China dividing the Pacific Ocean between east and west and recognizing each other’s spheres of influence, a concept that would be utterly unacceptable.

A senior Foreign Ministry official said, “(The G-2 notion) is not something Trump is thinking of as a strategy.”

Nevertheless, a deep-seated wariness persists within the Japanese government about the possibility that the United States might draw closer to China and make decisions with Beijing over the head of U.S. ally Japan.