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 WASHINGTON — President Obama intends to nominate Caroline Kennedy, a close political ally and the daughter of slain president John F. Kennedy, as U.S. ambassador to Japan, the White House announced Wednesday. Kennedy went on to campaign for his election and to co-chair the vice presidential search committee that selected Joe Biden as his running mate. If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy would be the first female ambassador to represent the United States in Japan. This is a moment for some real creative thinking on the part of the United States," said Clyde Prestowitz, an expert on Japan and president of the Economic Strategic Institute. After publicly expressing interest in running for the U.S. Senate seat in New York vacated when Hillary Clinton became secretary of state in 2009, she ultimately decided against making a bid, citing "personal reasons." After receiving degrees at Harvard and Columbia, Kennedy served in a variety of roles at New York non-profits, including the John F. Kennedy Library and the American Ballet Theatre.
– Caroline Kennedy is finally getting a high-profile thank-you for all the help she has given President Obama over the years: He nominated her to be the next ambassador to Japan today, reports CNN. Assuming the Senate goes along, JFK's 55-year-old daughter will become the first woman to hold the post. (The Washington Post reported a few months ago that the move was expected.) Given that the US is Japan's biggest economic partner and military ally, it's not exactly a token job, and USA Today finds a skeptic worried about Kennedy's lack of experience. "Japan is in real crisis right now," says the president of the Economic Strategic Institute. "We keep handicapping ourselves in our global diplomacy by putting people into positions who don't know anything about what they are doing." Still, she follows in the footsteps of her grandfather, Joseph, was served as ambassador to Britain.