The White House says World War II veterans who feel 'personally embittered' by Japan's unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor should set aside their feelings and welcome Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the military base later this month.

Abe will meet Barack Obama at the site of the 1941 sneak attack, which was described as a day 'a date which will live in infamy,' for a final summit, just weeks before he hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump.

The Japanese leader has not said whether or not he will apologize for the provocative attack that thrust the United States into the world war.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday 'the kind of sentiment that's being expressed by the prime minister of Japan is one' the administration believes 'would be warmly received by most Americans.'

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Shinzo Abe, left, will become the first Japanese Prime Minister to visit Pearl Harbor when he travels to Hawaii for a final summit with outgoing US president Barack Obama, right

Japanese aircraft attacked the US Pacific fleet on December 7, 1941 killing 2,400 people

President Obama met with Prime Minister Abe at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on May 27, to become the first serving US President to visit the site of the world's first atomic attack

Earnest told a reporter inquiring about an apology and how it might perceived, 'I can't speak for every single American and how they will react to this particular situation.

'A WWII veteran who was drafted by the U.S. military to go and fight for our country overseas in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack might feel quite embittered, and I think it would be a perfectly natural and understandable human reaction to not be particularly satisfied with the words of the Japanese prime minister.'

The White House official began to make a statement about those veterans, saying, 'The thing that we know about the Greatest Generation of Americans is that they're anything....' but stopped himself mid-sentence.

He paused, restarted and said, 'I think, we take a risk if we underestimate their patriotism and their capacity to set aside their own personal interests and prioritize the ambition and opportunity of the American people.

'So yes, there may be some who feel personally embittered, but I'm confident that many will set aside their own personal bitterness, not because they're personally satisfied by the words of the prime minister but because they recognize how important this moment is for the United States.

Adding, 'And that's certainly why they qualify to be described as the Greatest Generation.'

Abe will visit Hawaii on December 26 and 27 for the highly symbolic meeting with Obama. The Japanese PM will pray for the war dead at Pearl Harbor.

The December 7, 1941 attack claimed the lives of 2,403 Americans with a further 1,178 wounded and prompted the entry of the United States into the Second World War.

Obama became the first sitting president to travel to Hiroshima, the site of the war-ending atomic bomb in May. He did not apologize for the United State's use of the deadly weapon.

Instead, the U.S. president said, 'We come to Hiroshima to ponder the terrible forces unleashed in the not so distant past. We come to mourn the dead.'

Abe on Monday said, 'We must never repeat the tragedy of the war. I would like to send this commitment. At the same time, I would like to send a message of reconciliation between Japan and the US.'

The White House confirmed the meeting in an official statement that said 'the two leaders' visit will showcase the power of reconciliation that has turned former adversaries into the closest of allies, united by common interests and shared values'.

President Obama, pictured at the USS Arizona memorial on December 29, 2011, will meet Prime Minister Abe for their last official summit before he leaves the White House next month

A ceremony will be held on Pearl Harbor on Wednesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the attack.

A moment of silence will be observed at 7.55am - when the first Japanese aircraft struck their first targets.

In the seven decades since the end of the war, the United States and Japan have become close allies as Japan rebuilt itself into an economic power. It is one of the more remarkable turnarounds of former enemies in world history.

Abe said Monday, 'Our talks in Hawaii will be a chance to show the rest of the world our ever stronger alliance in the future.

'I'll visit Pearl Harbor with President Obama. This will be a visit to console the souls of the victim. I would like to show to the world the resolve that horrors of war should never be repeated.'

The White House refused to say on Monday whether Abe would or should apologize on behalf of his country.

'I don't want to prejudge at this point what Prime Minister Abe may choose to say when he visits Pearl Harbor,' Earnest said. 'I think that most Americans would warmly receive the sentiment that he expressed in the statement earlier today.'

Earnest said it is the White House's opinion that the visit 'underscores the benefits of pursuing peace and reconciliation.'

The State Department likewise said, 'The meeting will be an opportunity for the two leaders to review our joint efforts over the past four years to strengthen the US-Japan alliance, including our close cooperation on a number of security, economic, and global challenges.

'The President will also accompany Prime Minister Abe to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those killed.

'The two leaders’ visit will showcase the power of reconciliation that has turned former adversaries into the closest of allies, united by common interests and shared values.'