John Roos, a lawyer without diplomatic experience, has been nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan. The campaign supporter of U.S. President Barack Obama was picked over Joseph Nye, a Harvard University professor who was believed the likelier candidate.
A graduate of Stanford University Law School, Roos has chiefly handled mergers and acquisitions of IT businesses in Silicon Valley. He still is the head of a law firm and has no political or diplomatic experience. Nor does he seem to have any previous relationship with Japan, the Asahi Shimbun reports.
| You usually give your bestest campaign supporters their choice of Spain, Italy or Austria ... |
| Good lawyers are good at listening to others with the appearance of intense interest, a useful skill in Japan... or anywhere, really. |
But Roos has had a close relationship with Obama since he threw a fund-raising party at his home in February 2007 before Obama joined the Democratic Party's presidential race. The New York Times last August called him one of the biggest fundraisers for the Obama camp.
Tokyo had welcomed rumors of Nye's appointment as a token that the Obama administration values ties with Japan but has made no comment on news of Roos' nomination.
| No doubt they, too, are looking forward to having somebody -- anybody -- answer the phone when they call. |
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