Abe's Pearl Harbor visit takes on heightened significance

Tokyo

A PLANNED visit to Pearl Harbor later this month by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which was meant simply as a reciprocal gesture in return for the historic trip this year by US President Barack Obama to Hiroshima, is taking on unexpected significance in the context of US-Japan relations.

The meeting between the two leaders is being painted in Japan as a strong symbol of the close relationship between the two countries at a time when pre-election statements by US President-elect Donald Trump are seen to have cast some doubt on the future of the post-war bond.