ABSTRACT
Nations engage in strategic public diplomacy, i.e., the international manifestation of information management by organizations, institutions, or other entities to achieve particular goals, maximize desired impacts, and minimize undesired effects. In Japan, the public was aware of the importance of the symbolic visit to Pearl Harbor at a time of uncertainty in the Japan-US alliance, thus resulting in the rise of Prime Minister Abe’s approval ratings. The celebration at the USS Arizona Memorial encouraged the heads of state of the United States and Japan to adopt a eulogistic perspective to memorialize the dead, as each leader recalled wartime deeds and reflected on the causes of the two countries’ war efforts. The US President described “the power of reconciliation and the alliance between the American and Japanese peoples”. The joint efforts for reconciliation may set a precedent for dissolving past animosities and have trust and cooperation replace them moving forward.
