At her Senate hearing last week, Caroline Kennedy, tipped to be the next U.S. ambassador to Japan, faced numerous questions about the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact, tensions over the Senkaku Islands, and what she would do about nearly 400 cases of American children allegedly abducted to Japan.
Bilateral trade issues, including tariffs on automobiles and soda ash, as well as the export of more American LNG to Japan, and their relation to the TPP, formed the basis of several questions by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last Thursday.
"Japan's entry into the TPP provides an opportunity for our countries to work more closely economically. It also provides an opportunity for bilateral talks on a number of nontariff and market access matters, as well as a dispute settlement mechanism, should there be issues along the way," Kennedy said.