Vice President Joe Biden will try to help empower Japanese women when he visits next week, a U.S. government official said Wednesday.
Biden will be joined by new Ambassador Caroline Kennedy for "an event to highlight the role of women in the Japanese economy" during his visit to Japan starting Monday, the official told reporters.
Apart from meetings with high-ranking officials, Biden will also visit a technology company that is owned and run by a woman and host a roundtable discussion to explore the challenges faced by women when they enter and remain in the workplace, the official said.
In Tokyo, Biden will meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso, the official said. They are expected to discuss bilateral and regional issues such as China's recent escalation in its claim to the Senkaku islets in the East China Sea.
Abe and Biden are expected to reaffirm the bilateral alliance in dealing with China's declaration of an air defense identification zone overlapping the Senkaku group, a Japanese official indicated earlier.
Another U.S. official said Biden and the Japanese leaders will discuss the drive to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement, and U.S. calls for more access to the Japanese auto and agricultural markets.
Meanwhile, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will visit Japan one day before Biden's arrival and discuss remaining obstacles to signing the U.S.-led TPP.