Caroline Kennedy's appointment as U.S. ambassador to Japan has divided American experts of the bilateral relationship, with her supporters hoping her family name and the fact that she's Washington's first female ambassador to be sent to Tokyo will lead to more opportunities for Japanese women.

But some observers note Kennedy has little to bring to Japan other than her position as a member of America's most famous political dynasty and fear that her inexperience and unfamiliarity with the country and East Asia could lead to problems if there is a regional crisis. Others, however, urge the novice Kennedy to ignore the conventional wisdom in Washington and set a completely new course for the Japan-U.S. alliance.

"Security issues are very complex for the nonspecialist, so anyone who has not had experience in this area would have to learn the issues, U.S. and Japanese capabilities, and the details of the alliance," said Michael Auslin, director of Japan studies at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute. "Kennedy will have to make herself respected as a policy voice by those in the State Department and the National Security Council, which will be dominant in making policy."