White House state dinner for Japan serves up stars, springtime decor and little political talk

A starry guest list — including Robert De Niro, Jeff Bezos, former President Clinton and Hillary Clinton, and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi — descended on the White House Wednesday for the state dinner for Japan. While rib-eye steak and pistachio cake were poised to be served at the gala event, political talk apparently wasn’t on the menu.

“Oh, we’re having a good time tonight,” Hillary Clinton told reporters as she arrived hand-in-hand with the former commander in chief, when asked her thoughts about the 2024 presidential race.

The 42nd president told ITK it was “great” to be back at the White House for the black-tie gala honoring Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the fifth state dinner of the Biden administration. Noticing a portrait of former Secretary of State Clinton hanging up in the East Colonnade where some of the night’s more than 200 guests entered for the dinner, the pair pointed and grinned.

Bezos, smiling with fiancé Lauren Sanchez as he arrived at the White House — which was decked out with giant, decorative fans and a floor space featuring a mural with flowers, golden butterflies and koi fish — declined to answer a question about whether he would support President Biden’s reelection bid.

De Niro, one of Hollywood’s most vocal critics of former President Trump, stayed uncharacteristically quiet about politics while making his way through the White House with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.

Asked how he’s feeling about the election, the 80-year-old “Killers of the Flower Moon” actor replied, “What do you think?”

Yamaguchi, who backed Biden in 2020, said she didn’t anticipate hitting the campaign trail for him this year but mouthed to members of the press, “Go, Joe.”

Other guests included: Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Apple CEO Tim Cook, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Democratic Govs. Kathy Hochul (N.Y.), Josh Shapiro (Pa.) and Roy Cooper (N.C.), the president’s daughter Ashley Biden, and his grandchildren, Finnegan and Naomi Biden.

During a toast, Biden told the crowd of the country’s relationship with Japan, “Today, without question, our alliance is literally stronger than it’s ever been.”

“Japan and the United States stand together,” Biden said.

Kishida, during his remarks, said he was left breathless and speechless by the “huge number of prominent American and Japanese guests” at the dinner. 

“My wife, Yuko — also left breathless — just told me it was hard to tell who the guest of honor is. So I was relieved when I was shown the seat right next to the president,” Kishida quipped, drawing laughs from the crowd.

Kishida quoted “Star Trek” as he told state dinner guests the nations would “boldly go where no one has gone before.”

“I would like to propose a toast to our voyage, to the frontier of the Japan-U.S. relationship,” Kishida said.