U.S. Commemorates 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Attack

The United States marked Wednesday the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that left some 2,400 Americans dead and brought the country into World War II.

A whistle blast from the USS Halsey ushered in a period of silent prayer at 7:55 a.m., the time the surprise attack began on Dec. 7, 1941, in a ceremony attended by some 4,000 people together with an overflow crowd of roughly 5,000 in a building at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.

The Japanese government announced Monday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will make a two-day visit to Hawaii from Dec. 26, when he will become the first sitting Japanese prime minister to pay his respects at the Pearl Harbor Memorial. (PNA/Kyodo)FPV/RSM