Washington, Dec 8 (IANS): The US on Wednesday marked the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii that claimed more than 2,400 American lives.

As many as 2,403 Americans were killed and about 20 US vessels were sunk or damaged and over 300 US aircrafts were damaged or destroyed when over 350 Japanese warplanes launched attacks stealthily, Xinhua reported.

The attack came as a shock to the Americans and directly led to US entry into World War II.

On August 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Another US nuclear strike was launched on the Japanese city of Nagasaki three days later. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945.

As the Americans were mourning the colossal loss inflicted by the Japanese, the news came that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would visit the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor at the end of December.

However, observers said that Abe was not expected to apologise for the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Abe's decision to visit Pearl Harbor came about six months after Obama visited Japan's Hiroshima early this year.

Apart from reciprocating Obama's visit to Hiroshima, Abe's upcoming trip to Pearl Harbor was believed to be the latest step by the Japanese government to strengthen the Japan-US alliance before US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration next January.