Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces on Monday that he will make a historical visit at the Pearl Harbor attack site on Dec. 26 and 27  during a trip for his final summit with the outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama.

This visit is showcasing the power of reconciliation and the importance of bilateral relationships despite what happened in the past.

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In a report by  The Japan Times, Abe said that he was making the visit to the Pearl Harbor attack site "to pay tribute" to military personnel who died in the war.

"We must never repeat the tragedy of the war," Abe said. "I would like to send this commitment. At the same time, I would like to send a message of reconciliation between Japan and the US."

What makes it a Historical Visit?

Abe's declaration came just two days before the 75th anniversary of the attack that propelled the US into World War II, which occurred on Dec. 7, 1941.

This visit is not just symbolic, but it will also mark the history as he will be the first Japanese leader to visit the Pearl Harbor attack site after 75 years. This visit will also be reciprocating Obama's trip this year to Hiroshima as he was also the first US President to visit the site, where the US dropped a nuclear bond at the end of the war in 1945.

Abe said he agreed to visit the Pearl Harbor together with Obama when he held brief talks with him on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima last month. He said that his last summit meeting with Obama will be a chance to reflect on his presidency and to confirm the importance of the bilateral relationship.

This historical visit will take place in the peak of an American presidential transition that seems to threaten the US-Japan relationship. Abe was the first world leader to meet the president-elect Donald Trump  when he visited New York after the Nov. 8 election.

Despite what happened in the past and even along the government transition in the US, the visit of the Japan Prime Minister with Obama to the Pearl Harbor attack site will demonstrate the power of reconciliation united by common interests and shared values. 

TagsUS-Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Barack Obama, donald trump, Pearl Harbor