Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces historic visit to Pearl Harbor

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Monday that he will visit the site of the Pearl Harbor attack later this year, making him the first sitting Japanese leader to do so. Abe plans to visit the Hawaiian naval base for the 75th anniversary of the Dec. 7 surprise attack alongside President Obama on Dec. 26 and 27, The New York Times reports.

"We must never repeat the horror of war," Abe said. "I want to express that determination as we look to the future, and at the same time send a message about the value of U.S.-Japanese reconciliation."

The bombing of Pearl Harbor killed more than 2,000 Americans and sank several U.S. warships in 1941. Abe's gesture is seen as a reciprocation of Obama's visit to Hiroshima earlier this year.

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