Caroline Kennedy, the recently appointed U.S. ambassador to Japan, traveled to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to present her credentials to the emperor on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. Throngs of people lined up in the city as the 55-year-old, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, arrived at the palace by horse-drawn carriage.
Kennedy, the first woman to be U.S. ambassador to Japan, is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later this week, and others, before also visiting the American military facility, Yokota Air Base.
Japan represents the U.S. fourth-largest trading partner. 50,000 American troops remain stationed in the country, news reports said.
"Honored to present my credentials to His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. What a memorable day!" Kennedy tweeted on Tuesday.
"The Japanese people feel closest to her father of all presidents, and in that sense I'd like to offer my hearty welcome," chief cabinet spokesman Yoshihide Suga told a news conference in recent days.
The 50th anniversary of her father's death is on November 22.
"I am conscious of my responsibility to uphold the ideals he represented- a deep commitment to public service, a more just America, and a more peaceful world," said Kennedy at her confirmation hearing in September.
The ambassador also emphasized her intentions to highlight women's rights in Japan, a country that reportedly ranks lower than most on the scale of gender equality, Agence France Presse reported.
