Tokyo, Japan

US Vice President Kamala Harris will attend former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe's funeral on Tuesday (September 27) in Tokyo. It is a sombre event, and Harris' Asia visit is not going to be an easy assignment.  She has more than a couple of vital issues to address. Controversies are likely to happen as the vice president has begun her second trip to Asia since taking office in January 2021. 

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Harris will meet Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday, and she will visit South Korea later to strengthen US diplomatic links in the region. 

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China will keep a close watch on her movement because tensions between the nations are expected to escalate as Harris' visit came just days after US President Joe Biden committed to defending Taiwan from a "potential attack" from the Chinese. A similar visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this year had raised the heckles in Beijing.

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So the question remains, will Harris do a Pelosi? 

North Korea will also keep a close eye on Harris, even as it fired a ballistic missile on Sunday as a veiled warning just hours ahead of the planned military drills by South Korean and US forces involving an aircraft carrier, which started on Sunday. South Korean and US officials have been warning for months that Kim is preparing to conduct another nuclear test. 

South Korean president's office said on Saturday that they had detected signs the North was preparing to fire a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM), a weapon Pyongyang last tested in May. 

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At the Abe funeral on Tuesday, Harris will head a delegation that includes the US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. 

Ahead of the visit, a senior White House official told reporters, "We anticipate that they will also have a discussion on issues such as the strength of the US-Japan alliance, our broad cooperation on many issues including space." 

And also, a range of regional and global issues including the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and the importance of promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific," the official added. 

Key issues that might dominate her visit: 

-Joe Biden's comment to send troops to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion. 

-Recent provocations by North Korea and possibility of a nuclear test by Pyongyang. 

-New US law that makes electric vehicles built outside of North America ineligible for subsidies.

-South Korean president's recent controversies, when he insulted US lawmakers in a viral hot mic moment. 

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