Commentary It’s official. Rahm Emanuel, former mayor of Chicago who also served as an adviser to President Bill Clinton and as President Barack Obama’s first chief of staff, will be heading to Tokyo as the new U.S. ambassador to Japan. Emanuel Is a Controversial Figure Why did President Joe Biden nominate him as ambassador to Japan? I don’t know why Emanuel was nominated. He lacks Asia experience (other than some past ties to Chinese business interests), and certainly lacks a “diplomatic” temperament. Indeed. it’s hard to imagine anyone less suited for dealing with the Japanese. It’s almost as if the choice was made in order to irritate the Japanese—though they will never complain publicly about an ambassador. Does Emanuel have direct and immediate access to Biden? Maybe, maybe not. He’s not mentioned very often as an administration “insider.” Making Emanuel’s selection even more perplexing is that the “professionals” are supposedly back in charge …