(Washington) US Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in July, at the end of September, her spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Posted at 6:17 p.m.
She will lead the American delegation during the funeral scheduled for September 27.
These funerals are already criticized in Japan because of their cost considered prohibitive (12 million euros) and the controversial balance sheet on the internal level of the former leader.
Kamala Harris’ visit will “pay homage to the Prime Minister’s legacy,” the statement said.
The vice-president’s trip, from September 25 to 29, should take her to Tokyo but also to Seoul, South Korea.
In both countries, according to the White House, she must meet with both official officials and representatives of civil society in order to “highlight the solidity of the United States’ alliance” with the two nations, as well as their “commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. »
This last formulation is systematically used by Washington to implicitly evoke its desire to counter Chinese influence and maneuvers in the Asia-Pacific region.