Japanese leader Abe to visit Pearl Harbor with Obama
BEIJING — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Monday that he would accompany President Barack Obama to Pearl Harbor, making him the first sitting Japanese leader to visit the Hawaiian naval base since the end of World War II.
Abe told reporters that he will visit a memorial at the site on Dec. 26 and 27. The surprise announcement came two days before the 75th anniversary of Japan’s attack on the base, which killed 2,400 U.S. servicemen and civilians and drew the U.S. into the war.
“This will be a visit to console the souls of the victims,” he said. “I would like to show to the world the resolve that horrors of war should never be repeated.”
The trip will reciprocate Obama’s visit to Hiroshima in May, the first by a sitting U.S. president. Alongside Abe, Obama visited the site of the U.S. atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945, which killed an estimated 140,000 people. He expressed his aspiration to “ultimately eliminate the existence of nuclear weapons,” but stopped short of apologizing for the U.S. attack.
The White House welcomed Abe’s trip to Obama’s home state of Hawaii, and confirmed that Obama will accompany him to the battleship Arizona memorial at the harbor.
“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,” Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said in a statement.
“The meeting will be an opportunity for the two leaders to review our joint efforts over the past four years to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance, including our close cooperation on a number of security, economic and global challenges.”