Noda stressed the need to develop Japan's relations with the United States, against the backdrop of a changing security situation and the emergence of new nations, and said he would like to develop Japan's mutually beneficial relationship with China.

CNN: Japan's new PM pledges to rebuild

By becoming a champion of female leadership in Japan and the United States, Kennedy could leave a powerful legacy of helping to enhance U.S.-Japan relations.

CNN: How Caroline Kennedy could make a difference in Japan

Abe, a romantic nationalist, is proving a problematic, and potentially disastrous leader for Japan in its relations with its neighbors (and increasingly, I suspect, with the United States).

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