Though no one could say for certain what her fluency level was, most agreed that what had been characterized as a possible political snub had more likely been a convergence of Abe’s limited English abilities and a desire not to misspeak.

It is, of course, false that Abe speaks “zero” English. At the very least, it’s unthinkable that the Japanese first lady, who previously worked at Dentsu, Japan’s largest international public relations company, doesn’t know the word “hello” — even if she may not have said it to Trump at the G-20 dinner.

But it’s clear in the video of her 2014 keynote address that Abe was consulting a script and, even then, occasionally stumbling over a word or two. Abe has regularly accompanied her husband to Washington through his three stints as prime minister, and footage from her past visits shows that she has almost always used an interpreter when in the United States.