PM Abe to send message Japan won't repeat war atrocities

[December 26, 2016]    TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he wants to send a message to the world during his visit to Pearl Harbor that Japan will never repeat the atrocities of past wars.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers his speech at the Abe's official resident in Tokyo, Japan December 21, 2016. REUTERS/Toshfumi Kitamura/Pool

"The alliance between Japan and the United States is one with hope in dealing with various problems in the world," Abe said in a speech to the Japanese business lobby Keidanren.

"I hope this visit will be a historical one with leaders of Japan and the United States jointly visiting Pearl Harbor in a show of reconciliation," he said.

Abe's Dec. 27 visit with President Barack Obama comes 75 years after the attack that thrust the United States into World War Two.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chris Gallagher)

[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.