U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy will not be attending this year's ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a U.S. Embassy official said.
The ambassador, who has attended the ceremonies over the past two years, will be in the United States for official duties, according to the official.
The embassy will send other envoys to the ceremonies in Hiroshima on Saturday and Nagasaki on Tuesday.
Ambassador Kennedy accompanied U.S. President Barack Obama in May on his historic visit to Hiroshima as the first serving U.S. head of state to visit either of the atomic-bombed cities.
The U.S. bombed Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9 in 1945 in a bid to bring an end to World War II. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15.