Japanese Prime Minister to Make Historic First Visit to Pearl Harbor

— -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Pearl Harbor with President Obama later this month.

Abe will become the first sitting Japanese leader to visit the site of Japan's 1941 attack on the U.S. Naval base that prompted the United States to join World War II.

"The President will ... accompany Prime Minister Abe to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those killed," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest announced Monday. "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."

Abe's historic visit comes after President Obama earlier this year visited Hiroshima, the site of the U.S. atomic bombing on Japan in 1945, in another first.

Abe's visit to Hawaii is planned for December 27th.