To the Point

A Japanese prime minister to Visit Pearl Harbor for first time

This is the 75th anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the US into World War II. Later this month, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will become the first leader of his country to visit there. Just this past May, Barack Obama was the first US President to visit Hiroshima, the city destroyed by an American nuclear weapon.

By Warren Olney • Dec 7, 2016 • 10m Listen

This is the 75th anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the US into World War II. Later this month, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will become the first leader of his country to visit there. Just this past May, Barack Obama was the first US President to visit Hiroshima, the city destroyed by an American nuclear weapon.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Barack Obama shake hands

at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on May 27, 2016

Official White House Photo

We hear more about the significance of this visit from Jennifer Lind, Professor of Government at Dartmouth College, and Nicholas Szechenyi, Deputy Director on Japan at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.