VICE President Kamala Harris will head the US delegation at the upcoming funeral of assassinated former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, the White House said yesterday.

Harris will “honour the legacy of prime minister Abe and underscore the importance of his leadership in championing the alliance between the United States and Japan and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the vice president’s spokesman Kirsten Allen said.

During the September 25-29 trip, Harris will visit Tokyo and also Seoul, meeting senior Japanese and South Korean officials, Allen said.

Abe was shot dead on the campaign trail in July, and the government expects dozens of current and former heads of state to pay condolences at the September 27 service in Tokyo. – AFP, September 8, 2022.