Caroline Kennedy takes up post as US ambassador to Japan

Caroline Kennedy takes up post as US ambassador to Japan

JFK's daughter, the first woman to serve as US ambassador in Tokyo, will hope to improve Obama's relations with Shinzo Abe

Associated Press in Tokyo

theguardian.com, Friday 15 November 2013 03.41 EST          

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/15/caroline-kennedy-us-ambassador-japan

Caroline Kennedy has arrived in Japan to take up her position as American ambassador, bringing an assurance that she has the ear of the president.

"I bring greetings from President Obama," she said in a short statement after getting off the plane with her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, at Narita airport.

Japan hopes the 55-year-old daughter of President John F Kennedy will work closely with Barack Obama to tackle urgent US-Japan matters, analysts said.

Her close ties to Obama were formed in her pivotal role in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, when she endorsed him over then-favourite Hillary Clinton.

"What's important here is her strong pipeline with Obama and an ability to be able to pick up the phone and speak with Obama directly in the middle of the night for consultation on urgent matters," said Ryuichi Teshima, professor of diplomacy at Keio University in Tokyo.

As the first woman to serve as US ambassador to Japan, Kennedy may also be a role model in a country that has traditionally restricted the role of women, said Toshihiro Nakayama, professor of international politics at Aoyama Gakuin University.

"I am also proud to carry forward my father's legacy of public service," Kennedy said. "He had hoped to be the first US president to visit Japan. So it is a special honour for me to be able to work to strengthen the close ties between our two great countries."

US-Japanese relations are generally on an even keel, but Obama and the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, are not as close as some would like. "The chemistry is off, possibly because Obama does not support the rightwing views Abe holds," Teshima said.

Major bilateral issues include the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, the relocation of a US military base on Okinawa and a rethink of defence co-operation guidelines between the two countries.

Caroline B. Kennedy

Caroline B. Kennedy is the U.S. ambassador nominee for Japan, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), and a director emeritus for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

Note: George Soros is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Michael H. Armacost was the president for the Brookings Institution (think tank), a U.S. ambassador for Japan, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank).

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for Japan.

Thomas S. Foley was a partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), and the U.S. ambassador for Japan.