Japan welcomes Caroline Kennedy as first female US ambassador

Japan said Thursday that it welcomes Caroline Kennedy as the first female U.S. ambassador to Japan after the U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination Wednesday. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko told a press conference here that Japan hopes Kennedy could serve as a bridge in the Japan-U.S. bilateral relations. "We hope she will assume the post soon and play an active role in various fields," Seko was quoted as saying. The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved President Barack Obama's nomination of 55-year-old Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, as the new ambassador to Japan.