FILE – In this Feb. 11, 2016, file photo, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy speaks before a sake barrel breaking ceremony commemorating the opening of the exhibition, Kennedy is stepping down Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017 after three years as U.S. ambassador to Japan, where she was welcomed like a celebrity and worked to deepen the U.S.-Japan relationship despite regular flare-ups over American military bases on the southern island of Okinawa. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
TOKYO (AP) — Caroline Kennedy has stepped down as U.S. ambassador to Japan, a move that was expected with the coming change in U.S. leadership.
Kennedy has spent 3 years in the post after she was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013. President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has said that all envoys who were political appointees must step down by Inauguration Day on Friday.
“Serving as the United States ambassador to our closest friend and ally has been the greatest privilege of my life,” Kennedy said in a video farewell. “I want to thank the people Japan to taking me and my family into their hearts.”
Kennedy, the daughter of slain President John F. Kennedy, is expected to return to Manhattan. She has not indicated publicly what her future plans may be.
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