Daughter of late U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, will become ambassador to Japan.
Kennedy, an attorney and strong backer of President Barack Obama, will take up the post as Washington is grappling with trade issues with its top Asian ally.
Sources said that the 55-year-old will become the first woman to assume the high-profile post, if the U.S. Senate approves her nomination.
According to Japan Times, sources said that the White House will announce the appointment soon.
After graduating from Harvard University, Kennedy worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
She also studied at Columbia Law School. She has written and edited books on American history, politics and poetry.
U.S. Ambassador John Roos, a former corporate attorney and fundraiser for Obama's 2008 election campaign, assumed the post in August 2009.
He became ambassador to Japan the month before the Democratic Party of Japan took office in 2009.
