I Want the US Ambassador To Experience the Reality of the Disaster Area

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy will visit areas affected by the great east Japan earthquake this week. I would like to express my respect for her choice to begin her substantial work in the disaster area. I would certainly like her to come visit our prefecture.

To the U.S. and Japan as well as the people of the world, the oldest daughter of former President Kennedy is still an individual synonymous with the U.S. presidency. She visited Japan on the eve of Nov. 22, exactly 50 years after her father died by an assassin’s bullet.

Before the anniversary of Kennedy’s death, President Obama and his wife visited the former president’s grave in the Washington D.C. suburbs, offering flowers. That she is greeting that day in Japan as a representative of that lineage is a glimpse of the new ambassador’s spirit.

As for the new ambassador’s visit to the affected areas, she will probably stay only for a short time since she is very busy. Even so, local people are sure to greet the ambassador’s decision to start her work off by visiting the affected areas with a heartfelt smile.

Concealed behind that smile, however, are real feelings of impatience and distress at the meager “reconstruction.” A survey by Iwate University’s research lab indicated an increase since last year in people whose psychological state has not improved since the disaster.

Continuing on from the disaster-affected area, there is talk of an inaugural visit to Okinawa, a visit entangled with the pending matter of relocating Futenma U.S. air base. I want the ambassador to experience first-hand the disaster area and the “current” Okinawa through the eyes of a so-called full-on liberal and for this to be reflected in the duties that go into full swing in the days ahead.

There is a mountain of issues between Japan and the United States directly linked to American national interests, including not only the Futenma issue, but also the final Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement negotiations, the Japan-China conflict over the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa prefecture, North Korea’s nuclear development and so forth. U.S. media was initially critical of her appointment as ambassador at such a time, as she is a lawyer by occupation and president of the foundation supporting a library commemorating her father’s achievements.

Although she has visited Japan, Caroline Kennedy has never seriously studied Japan in depth before. The topic is gathering attention due to its newsworthiness, though her capabilities as a diplomat are unknown. However, there are qualities that the new ambassador has that outshine those of others. These are her lineage, ranked as America’s royal family, and her closeness with President Obama.

Having written an article entitled “A President Like My Father” for a U.S. newspaper, she is considered a contributing factor in expanding support for Obama during the first election’s Democratic presidential candidate nomination. She showed a presence in campaign fundraising as well. Afterward, a leading U.S. diplomat was quoted as saying, “What you really want in an ambassador is someone who can get the president of the United States on the phone. I can’t think of anybody in the United States who could do that more quickly than Caroline Kennedy.”

Another political strength is her courage in exerting herself to make “President Obama” a reality and being prepared to have the prestige of the Kennedy family name tarnished, depending on the results. She is regarded as having a humble character, but I hope this strength is utilized for the good in the near future of the Japan-U.S. relationship.