The following is from an editorial in the Los Angeles Times:
If Caroline Kennedy were simply a lawyer and author, it's doubtful that she would be on any president's short list for a major diplomatic appointment. But Kennedy is also a member of a storied American political family and an early and valued supporter of Barack Obama's presidential ambitions. As a result of those dubious "credentials," she is reportedly in line to be nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan.
Kennedy, a lawyer and the author of several books, is not an expert on Japan or international relations. She has never held public office or been a diplomat. In 2009 she asked the governor of New York to appoint her to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the U.S. Senate — only to withdraw her name from consideration after her bid proved divisive.
The argument in favor of the Kennedy appointment is that, as a Washington Post article put it, "Japanese tend to be flattered when the American ambassador is a person of great renown." Never mind that it was Kennedy's father and uncles who were the statesmen.
A Kennedy in the U.S. Embassy would, in the words of a columnist in Foreign Policy magazine, "provide a subtle antidote to the growing concern among Japanese officials that Japan is being eclipsed in American eyes by its chief regional rival, China."
There is more to being the U.S. ambassador than symbolism. He or she should play an active role in communicating the views of the United States on issues including the North Korean nuclear threat, international trade and the dispute between China and Japan over islands in the East China Sea.
Perhaps Kennedy would rise to the occasion, but there is no reason — other than Obama's desire to reward a celebrity supporter — to take the chance.