A few centenarian Pearl Harbor survivors are expected to assemble in Hawaii near the attack site to remember those who died 81 years ago in the Japanese bombing.

This is less than in former years, when a dozen or more people travelled from all around the country to attend the yearly memory service to pay their respects.

Part of the decline reflects the dwindling number of survivors as they age.

Statistics on the number of Pearl Harbor survivors who are still alive are not available from the American Department of Veterans Affairs.

However, the numbers reflect a sharp decline in the number of World War II veterans.