U.S. Senate confirms Kennedy as ambassador to Japan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate confirmed Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, on Wednesday as President Barack Obama's next U.S. ambassador to Japan, the first woman to fill the post.

Kennedy was unanimously approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 30, but final approval of her nomination was held up by wrangling in Congress over how to end a funding battle that partly shut down the government and threatened to force Washington to default on its debts.