Historic first: Japan leader to visit Pearl Harbor
Japanese leader Shinzo Abe will visit Pearl Harbor with President Obama this month, becoming that country's first serving prime minister to travel to the naval base in Hawaii since it was attacked by Japan in 1941.
Abe will take part in a memorial to remember those killed in World War II and to hold a final meeting with Obama before he leaves office. The meeting is scheduled for Dec. 27.
"We must never repeat the tragedy of the war," Abe announced Monday in Tokyo. "I would like to send this commitment. At the same time, I would like to send a message of reconciliation between Japan and the U.S."
Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor 75 years ago Wednesday, propelled the United States to enter World War II. More than 2,300 U.S. military personnel died in the Pearl Harbor attack.
The White House said in a statement, "The two leaders’ visit will showcase the power of reconciliation that has turned former adversaries into the closest of allies, united by common interests and shared values."
Earlier this year, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the memorial to victims of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima at the end of the war. The U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed an estimated 129,000 people.