HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 08: Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the National Baptist Convention on September 08, 2022 in Houston, Texas.
The National Baptist Convention was formed in 1886, and gathers church members and leaders from around the WASHINGTON (AP) - 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.RELATED: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shot and killedEven 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.