Vice President Kamala Harris led a presidential delegation to Japan Sept. 26-29 to attend the state funeral for former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. Along with Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, the presidential delegation also included four former U.S. ambassadors to Japan (Bill Hagerty, Caroline Kennedy, John Roos, and Tom Schieffer), U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen, Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, and Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President Philip Gordon.
Vice President Harris Tweeted: “It was my honor to represent the United States at the funeral of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo of Japan. He was a great champion of the U.S.-Japan Alliance and of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Our governments will continue building on his legacy.”
Ambassador Emanuel Tweeted: “Thank you, @VP Harris for leading the presidential delegation to Japan. You represented America in reflecting on the life and legacy of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving PM, while planning ahead for a more peaceful and prosperous future in partnership with PM @Kishida230.”
In addition to representing the President of the United States at the late Prime Minister Abe’s state funeral and visiting Zojoji Temple, Vice President Harris also had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Kishida, discussed strengthening semiconductor supply chains with Japanese business executives, and met with Embassy families and U.S. service members.
Key documents
- Background Press Briefing on the Vice President’s Meetings in Japan
- Remarks by Vice President Harris and Prime Minister Kishida of Japan Before Bilateral Meeting
- Readout of Vice President Harris’s Meeting with Prime Minister Kishida of Japan
- Readout of Vice President Harris’s Meeting with Japanese Business Executives
- Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Roundtable Discussion with Japanese Business Executives on the CHIPS and Science Act