Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images(HONOLULU) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will arrive in Hawaii on Monday, where he will meet with President Obama, who’s been vacationing in the state for the past couple of days with his family.
Following his talks with the president on Tuesday, Abe will visit Pearl Harbor, becoming the first sitting leader of Japan to go to the site of the Japanese attack that propelled the United States into World War II.
“The President will also accompany Prime Minister Abe to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those killed,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement earlier this month, previewing the visit. “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.”
The visit comes six months after Obama visited Hiroshima, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the site of the U.S. atomic bombing. It also follows the 75th anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that killed more than 2,400 Americans and destroyed numerous battleships and aircraft.
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