Ceremony And Controversy Await Harris During Visit To Asia

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

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 Abe Shinzo.

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's 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.