Vice President Harris travels to Asia for talks, memorial

WASHINGTON — Attending funerals on behalf of the United States is normally a straightforward assignment for a vice president, but Kamala Harris will confront controversy at nearly every turn as she visits Asia for the memorial honoring former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

American allies are seeking clarity after mixed messages over whether President Joe Biden would send troops to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion, a potential conflict that could swiftly engulf the rest of the region. There is the potential for more provocations from North Korea, which test-fired a missile shortly before Harris’ departure Sunday from Washington.

Meanwhile, South Korea and Japan are inching toward a reconciliation that would heal some of the wounds left from World War II, with the U.S. gingerly trying to nudge along the process. And there’s resentment over a new U.S. law that makes electric vehicles built outside of North America ineligible for subsidies.

Even Abe’s state funeral Tuesday itself is a sensitive topic in Japan, where such memorials are uncommon and the late leader’s legacy remains disputed. Abe, a conservative nationalist in a country that embraced pacifism after World War II, was assassinated with a homemade firearm nearly three months ago.

In a reflection of deep divisions, an elderly man reportedly set himself on fire to protest the funeral, and more demonstrations are expected in the coming days. The controversy has politically weakened Japan’s current prime minister, Fumio Kishida, at a time when his government is planning to further Abe’s goal of strengthening the country’s military.

If Japan moves forward with its proposed military spending, it will have the world’s third-largest defense budget in the coming years as tensions rise between China and the United States over Taiwan. The island is a selfgoverning democracy, but Beijing views it as part of its territory and has pledged to reunify it with the mainland.

Harris, who is leading a delegation of current and former U.S. officials to the funeral, plans to spend three nights in Tokyo. She is expected to meet with Kishida, South Korean Prime Minister Han Ducksoo and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Harris plans to meet with Japanese business leaders as the U.S. seeks to expand computer chip manufacturing and visit with U.S. sailors serving on an American destroyer at a nearby naval base.

It will be the vice president’s second trip to Asia since taking office in January 2021.

At a stop in South Korea, she intends to see President Yoon Suk Yeol and host a roundtable discussion with leading women — a delicate topic in a country where Yoon has faced criticism for his maledominated administration.

Relations between South Korea and Japan remain strained because of the legacy of Japan’s aggression during World War II. Koreans are seeking compensation over forced labor and sex slavery that occurred when Japan occupied their country.

Kishida and Yoon announced Thursday at the United Nations that they will accelerate their work to repair their two countries’ relationship.

Biden met separately with each leader, and the U.S. is eager to see the two allies resolve their issues as it seeks a united front against China.

Taiwan remains a flashpoint, and tensions have been rising in recent months.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., visited the Taiwan in August, outraging Beijing, which responded by holding military exercises. Although Chinese leaders have said they seek peaceful reunification with Taiwan, the exercises are a reminder of the possibility that Beijing could use force.

China also fired missiles into waters near some of Japan’s southern islands, a reminder that any conflict over Taiwan would be a threat to other countries as well.

The U.S. has 55,000 troops based in Japan, with more than half on the southern island of Okinawa. Earlier this month, Okinawa re-elected a governor who calls for a reduction in the U.S. presence there.