Obama, Abe remember Pearl Harbor dead in historic Arizona Memorial visit

In remarks to assembled dignitaries including World War II veterans, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today offered condolences for the lives lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor 75 years ago.

“As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place,” Abe said on the grounds of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Abe, and President Barack Obama, made brief remarks after a solemn visit to the memorial.

Obama called Abe’s visit a “historic gesture” of reconciliation. He said the visit illustrates that enemies can become allies and “the fruits of peace always outweigh the plunder of war.”

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