WASHINGTON — The Senate has confirmed the daughter of slain President John F. Kennedy to be U.S. ambassador to Japan.

Caroline Kennedy won the Senate’s unanimous endorsement late Wednesday shortly after it voted to end a partial shutdown of the government and extend its borrowing authority.

Kennedy was nominated for the ambassador’s job by President Barack Obama after playing a role in his re-election campaign.

At her confirmation hearing last month, she promised to carry forward her father’s legacy. She was five days shy of her sixth birthday when her father was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963.

Millions to take part in earthquake drill LOS ANGELES — Hoping to survive an earthquake, many Californians and people in earthquake prone regions around the world were gearing up for a major earthquake drill.More than 24 million people, including 9½ million in California, signed up to duck under their desks at 10:17 a.m. local time today, cover their heads and hold on to something sturdy.The exercise allows first responders to dust off their emergency response plans and transportation departments to practice slowing down trains in the event of real shaking.The Great ShakeOut was first held in California in 2008 and participation has since spread around the globe. This year, Japan, Canada, Italy and Guam planned to join the U.S. in the drill.