Japan welcomes Kennedy as ambassador nominee
Source: Agencies |
July 26, 2013, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
JAPAN welcomed yesterday the long-anticipated nomination of former US first daughter Caroline Kennedy as Washington's new ambassador to the country, lauding her close ties to President Barack Obama.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the nomination reflected the importance the United States attaches to its longtime ally.
"She is known to be very close to President Obama. As US ambassador, one of the most crucial questions is if or how he or she can communicate a variety of issues with the president. For that role I would give her a big welcome," Suga said.
The 55-year-old Kennedy was instrumental in helping put Obama in the White House, where her father, President John F. Kennedy, served until his assassination 50 years ago.
If confirmed as ambassador to Japan, one of the United States' most important trading and military partners, she would be the first woman in the post. She would replace John Roos, a wealthy former Silicon Valley lawyer and a top Obama campaign fundraiser.
In a country that likes prestige and famous brands, the family name Kennedy would certainly be well received.
"Many Japanese people feel close to the late President Kennedy," Suga said.
Kennedy lacks any obvious ties to Japan, and some experts have expressed concern that she might lack the capacity to handle thorny issues in the US-Japan ties such as trade talks, tensions between Japan and China, and US military personnel based in Japan.
Suga shrugged such issues aside, but some Japanese media noted that Kennedy's potential as a diplomat is untested. "Glorious family, but abilities unknown," said a front-page headline in the newspaper Mainichi Shimbun.
Kennedy earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Columbia University. She married exhibit designer Edwin Schlossberg and has three children.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the nomination reflected the importance the United States attaches to its longtime ally.
"She is known to be very close to President Obama. As US ambassador, one of the most crucial questions is if or how he or she can communicate a variety of issues with the president. For that role I would give her a big welcome," Suga said.
The 55-year-old Kennedy was instrumental in helping put Obama in the White House, where her father, President John F. Kennedy, served until his assassination 50 years ago.
If confirmed as ambassador to Japan, one of the United States' most important trading and military partners, she would be the first woman in the post. She would replace John Roos, a wealthy former Silicon Valley lawyer and a top Obama campaign fundraiser.
In a country that likes prestige and famous brands, the family name Kennedy would certainly be well received.
"Many Japanese people feel close to the late President Kennedy," Suga said.
Kennedy lacks any obvious ties to Japan, and some experts have expressed concern that she might lack the capacity to handle thorny issues in the US-Japan ties such as trade talks, tensions between Japan and China, and US military personnel based in Japan.
Suga shrugged such issues aside, but some Japanese media noted that Kennedy's potential as a diplomat is untested. "Glorious family, but abilities unknown," said a front-page headline in the newspaper Mainichi Shimbun.
Kennedy earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Columbia University. She married exhibit designer Edwin Schlossberg and has three children.
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