Caroline Kennedy, the new U.S. ambassador to Japan and daughter of slain President John F. Kennedy, leaves for Japan on Thursday to begin her work to strengthen the critical bond between the U.S. and the Asian nation. 
 
 Japanese Ambassador to the United States Kenichiro Sasae, left, gestures while he and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy participate in during Japanese Ambassador's residence in Washington, Tuesday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Japanese Ambassador to the United States His Excellency Kenichiro Sasae, left, watches as U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy drinks a cup of tea during a traditional tea ceremony at the Japanese... (Associated Press) 
 
 Japanese Ambassador to the United States Kenichiro Sasae, left, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy talk during a tea during a traditional tea ceremony at the Japanese Ambassador's residence... (Associated Press) 
 
 Kennedy, who was confirmed by the Senate last month, was nominated for the ambassador's job by President Barack Obama after playing a role in his re-election campaign. Secretary of State John Kerry hosted a swearing-in ceremony for Kennedy on Tuesday afternoon at the State Department. 
 
 "We just had a tea ceremony which was a wonderful introduction to the Japanese culture," Kennedy said at a reception later at the Japanese ambassador's residence. 
 
 "My husband and I and my children are so excited to be going to Japan," she said in brief remarks to reporters. "We look forward to meeting as many people as we can, to making new friends, visiting and studying the history and culture of this beautiful country that is such a strong partner to the United States in so many important efforts." 
 
 At the reception, Kerry noted that Kennedy's father battled Japanese forces as a Navy officer in World War II. 
 
 "The daughter of a heroic lieutenant in World War II will be the first woman, in the next generation after the war, to represent our country in a relationship that symbolizes so much more than just a normal diplomatic relationship," Kerry said. "This is a symbol of reconciliation, symbol of possibilities, a symbol of people who know how to move past ... look to the future and build a future together." 
 
 He said he reminded Kennedy earlier in the day that the first time he met her was when she was a child in the 1960s, getting ready to ride her pony named Macaroni, and he backed into her and stepped on her foot. He said she broke into tears. 
 
 "So I am really excited, as the president is, that Caroline is going to be heading over there to represent this relationship at a critical time _ with the rebalance to Asia, global marketplace and competition therein, the efforts to deal with North Korea ... challenges of the South China Sea, challenges of climate change." 
 
 Kennedy, 55, an attorney and best-selling book editor, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a September confirmation hearing that she would work to strengthen the crucial bond between the United States and its Asian ally on trade, the military and student exchanges. 
 
 Japan is the United States' fourth-largest trading partner and home to the Navy's 7th Fleet and 50,000 American troops. 
 
 Her predecessors include the late Sen. Mike Mansfield, former Sens. Walter Mondale and Howard Baker and the late House Speaker Tom Foley. She replaced John Roos, a wealthy former Silicon Valley lawyer and top Obama campaign fundraiser. 
 
 Kennedy's confirmation to the post brought a third generation of her family into the U.S. diplomatic corps. Her grandfather Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's ambassador to Britain and her aunt Jean Kennedy Smith was ambassador to Ireland under President Bill Clinton. 
 
 Kennedy was five days shy of her sixth birthday when her father was assassinated, and she lived most of the rest of her life in New York City. She earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University, got a law degree from Columbia University, married exhibit designer Edwin Schlossberg and had three children. ||||| The seed for Wide00014 was: 
 
 - Slash pages from every domain on the web: 
 
 
 
 
 
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 - Top ranked pages (up to a max of 100) from every linked-to domain using the Wide00012 inter-domain navigational link graph ||||| "I heard the words 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country' and those were the most inspiring words I've ever heard," said Suzuki, a 46-year-old office worker. "I have been a loyal Kennedy fan -- of JFK and his family -- ever since, for the last 26 years." 
 
 Suzuki is not alone. President Kennedy is still remembered fondly by many in Japan, which gives a built-in base of support to the new U.S. ambassador, Caroline Kennedy. 
 
 Kennedy, the late president's daughter, signed her appointment papers Tuesday during a private ceremony with Secretary of State John F. Kerry in Washington and is expected to take up her new post in Tokyo this month. 
 
 On a recent windy evening in Tokyo, 10 members of the JFK Club Japan gathered at a restaurant to discuss Caroline Kennedy's arrival and to share their Kennedy memorabilia, many wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with JFK's profile and name. Some had come from as far as Nagoya, more than 200 miles away. 
 
 Among them was Suzuki, who said he owns all of the roughly 300 books published in Japan related to President Kennedy and family members. He estimated that he had spent about $10,000 on his collection. 
 
 Suzuki and others, who have met twice a year since 2004, are flying from Japan to Dallas in the coming weeks to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. They have been making pilgrimages to Kennedy-related locations such as Dallas and Washington every five years since 2003, and this year's will be their third. 
 
 Kaname Matsumura, 48, a teacher who runs a test preparation school, heads another fan club called the Kennedy Society. 
 
 In addition to maintaining a blog, Matsumura has self-published 25 magazine issues on articles related to the Kennedy family. He said he had spent about $100,000 on Kennedy-related activities. 
 
 "I hope Caroline Kennedy, with her liberal views, brings good influence and balance to the nationalism movement in Japan happening right now under the ruling political party, but I'm simply happy a Kennedy family member is coming to Japan," Matsumura said. 
 
 Foreign policy experts in Japan are also upbeat about the impending arrival. 
 
 Caroline Kennedy's presence could be a huge plus for women in Japan, said Hiroshi Tsuchida, a professor of American government at Josai International University. 
 
 With very few women in politics in Japan, Kennedy could be a role model and inspire more women to enter politics and participate in society, Tsuchida said. 
 
 The World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2013, which was released last month, ranks Japan 105th out of 136 countries. The report ranks countries based on how successfully women are making gains in economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment. 
 
 Only one country belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranked lower than Japan: South Korea, at No. 111. 
 
 Takashi Inoguchi, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, said the most important job for a U.S. ambassador to Japan is maintaining a good communication pipeline with the American president. By that measure, he said, Kennedy will be a "perfect match." 
 
 Mikio Haruna, visiting professor of journalism at Waseda University, said Kennedy benefits from near-universal fondness in Japan for her father. "No one in Japan is opposed to her appointment," he said. 
 
 Fumio Matsuo, former Washington bureau chief for the Japanese wire service Kyodo News, said he hoped Kennedy would be able to persuade President Obama to visit the atomic bomb site in Hiroshima, making him the first American president to do so. 
 
 "I would like to see [Obama] visit the city of Hiroshima and make a floral offering," Matsuo said, adding that it would be "a historic move." 
 
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– Caroline Kennedy is the US ambassador to Japan following a swearing-in ceremony at the State department yesterday. After John Kerry administered the oath, the new ambassador, the secretary of state, and others headed to the Japanese ambassador's residence for a reception, the Washington Post reports. "My husband and I and my children are so excited to be going to Japan," Kennedy told reporters, per the AP. "We look forward to meeting as many people as we can, to making new friends, visiting, and studying the history and culture of this beautiful country that is such a strong partner to the United States," she said. Making new friends shouldn't be difficult, the Los Angeles Times points out: Kennedy's father remains popular in the country. The JFK Club Japan meets twice a year, and it's not the only Kennedy fan club. Caroline Kennedy heads to Japan tomorrow, the AP notes.