TOKYO: US Vice President Kamala Harris is likely to attend a state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister ABE Shinzo , set for Sept. 27 in Tokyo, Japanese government sources said Monday.

The trip would mark Harris’ first visit to Japan since she took office in January last year. She is slated to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio during her stay.

US President Joe Biden will skip the funeral due to scheduling issues, but Harris’ participation is expected to showcase the solid Japan-US alliance to the world.

In their talks, Kishida and Harris are expected to confirm that their countries will continue to work together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, an idea pursued by Abe.

Abe was shot dead during a stump speech in the western Japan city of Nara on July 8.

From Germany, former Chancellor Angela Merkel, who joined Abe at many international meetings, is set to participate in the funeral.

Former US President Barack Obama may attend the funeral, people familiar with the matter said.

In May 2016, Obama became the first sitting US president to visit the western Japan city of Hiroshima, which was devastated by the 1945 US atomic bombing in the closing days of World War II.

In December 2016, Abe and Obama together visited Pearl Harbor in Hawaii where the Pacific War started.

JIJI Press