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World Bank staffer, surgeon picked as Japan astronaut candidates

Japan's space agency said Tuesday that it has selected a World Bank employee and a surgeon as astronaut candidates in its first recruitment drive in more than 13 years, with expectations high that they may have the chance to join an international mission to the Moon. Makoto Suwa, 46, a disaster prevention specialist at the World Bank, and Ayu Yoneda, one of the youngest ever candidates at age 28 and a surgeon at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, will join the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for two years of training. "I don't think the path ahead will be easy, but I hope to go to the Moon if possible," Yoneda told a press conference in Tokyo, as she expressed her joy after being picked from over 4,000 applicants, a record high. Suwa, who is the oldest candidate ever selected, said he felt "a great sense of responsibility," as he joined the press conference online from the United States, where he works.

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Sakurajima volcano spews smoke to over 4,000 meters

KAGOSHIMA, Japan - Active volcano Sakurajima Island in the southern Japan prefecture of Kagoshima spews smoke and ash to more than 4,000 meters after an eruption at Showa Vent on April 9. Part of the smoke and ash flew over the sea and hit the nearby city of Kagoshima causing problems for residents.

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Tsunami-hit school pupils join line dancing Guinness record challenge

KOBE, Japan - Pupils from Oginohama Junior High School in Miyagi Prefecture's tsunami-hit Ishinomaki join former Takarazuka Revue performer Maho Shiomi (6th from L) and over 4,000 others at an event to break the Guinness World Record for the most number of people line dancing together for five minutes or longer, in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture in western Japan, on Nov. 1, 2014. They successfully broke the record, which was previously set by 2,569 people in the United States in 2012.

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Emperor, empress attend IBA annual meeting in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Japan Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko raise their glasses during a reception for an annual meeting of the International Bar Association in Tokyo on Oct. 19, 2014, a day before the empress' 80th birthday. About 4,000 lawyers from around 130 countries are attending the six-day meeting.

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Emperor, empress attend IBA annual meeting in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses the opening ceremony for an annual meeting of the International Bar Association in Tokyo on Oct. 19, 2014. About 4,000 lawyers from around 130 countries are attending the six-day meeting.

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Emperor, empress attend IBA annual meeting in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attend the opening ceremony for an annual meeting of the International Bar Association in Tokyo on Oct. 19, 2014, a day before the empress' 80th birthday. About 4,000 lawyers from around 130 countries are attending the six-day meeting.

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'Radio Kaikan' building reopened after reconstruction

TOKYO, Japan - "Radio Kaikan," a shopping complex filled with stores related to animation and comics, reopens after reconstruction in Akihabara, Tokyo, on July 20, 2014, with some 4,000 people waiting before the opening.

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Ichiro reaches 4,000 career hits

NEW YORK, United States - Amy Franz raises a board labeled "Ichi-Meter" showing 4,000, the number of hits that the New York Yankees' Ichiro Suzuki has belted in a career split between Japan's Pacific League and the major leagues to celebrate Suzuki (31), who is taking the field at Yankee Stadium in New York during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 21, 2013.

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Ichiro reaches 4,000 career hits

NEW YORK, United States - A board labeled "Ichi-Meter" showing 4,000, the number of hits that the New York Yankees' Ichiro Suzuki has belted in a career split between Japan's Pacific League and the major leagues, is held at Yankee Stadium in New York during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 21, 2013.

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Ichiro 1 hit away from career 4,000

NEW YORK, United States - The New York Yankees' Ichiro Suzuki doubles in the third inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium in New York on Aug. 20, 2013. Suzuki went 2-for-5 in the team's 8-4 victory to move within one of a career 4,000 hits.

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Ichiro 1 hit away from career 4,000

NEW YORK, United States - The New York Yankees' Ichiro Suzuki doubles in the third inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium in New York on Aug. 20, 2013. Suzuki went 2-for-5 in the team's 8-4 victory to move within one of a career 4,000 hits.

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Ichiro 1 hit away from career 4,000

NEW YORK, United States - The New York Yankees' Ichiro Suzuki stands at the batter's box in the eighth inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium in New York on Aug. 20, 2013, amid chants of "Ichi-ro!" after he moved within one of a career 4,000 hits. Suzuki went 2-for-5 in the team's 8-4 victory.

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Ichiro 1 hit away from career 4,000

NEW YORK, United States - The New York Yankees' Ichiro Suzuki stands at the batter's box in the eighth inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium in New York on Aug. 20, 2013, amid chants of "Ichi-ro!" after he moved within one of a career 4,000 hits. Suzuki went 2-for-5 in the team's 8-4 victory.

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Ichiro 3 away from 4,000 career hits

BOSTON, United States - New York Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki singles on a bunt in the eighth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston on Aug. 18, 2013, to move within 3 hits of accumulating 4,000 hits in a career split between Japan's Pacific League and the major leagues. The Yankees won 9-6.

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Ichiro 3 away from 4,000 career hits

BOSTON, United States - New York Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki singles on a bunt in the eighth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston on Aug. 18, 2013, to move within 3 hits of accumulating 4,000 hits in a career split between Japan's Pacific League and the major leagues. The Yankees won 9-6.

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Aftershock jolts Indonesia's Aceh

JAKARTA, Indonesia - July 4, 2013 photo shows a little girl running in fear after an aftershock from the M6.1 earthquake which hit Indonesia's Aceh Province two days earlier. The girl was playing amid the debris of a collapsed house in Kenanga District of Aceh's Bener Meriah Regency when the aftershock occurred. As of July 5, the death toll from the July 2 quake stood at 35, with more than 4,000 houses and buildings damaged.

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Narita runway in full operation

NARITA, Japan - Photo from a Kyodo News helicopter shows the 4,000-meter runway at Narita airport near Tokyo on Dec. 13, 2012, as full operation of the runway began the same day. The runway had been used only partially due to private land left on the premises.

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Narita runway in full operation

NARITA, Japan - Photo from a Kyodo News helicopter shows the 4,000-meter runway at Narita airport near Tokyo on Dec. 13, 2012, as full operation of the runway began the same day. The runway had been used only partially due to private land left on the premises.

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Panasonic mulls cutting half of 7,000 HQ personnel

OSAKA, Japan - File photo taken in January 2009 shows the headquarters of Panasonic Corp. in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. Panasonic is considering cutting 3,000 to 4,000 of the 7,000 personnel who work at its headquarters within the current financial year through internal transfers and early retirement, in an effort to reduce costs and streamline the organization, sources familiar with the matter said May 29, 2012.

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Nissan to sell Datsun vehicles in India

TOKYO, Japan - Nissan Motor Co. President Carlos Ghosn speaks at a press conference at the Nissan headquarters in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on March 21, 2012. He said the automaker plans to release a model under its revived Datsun brand in India for about $4,000, or around 330,000 yen.

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Mitsubishi Motors' Mizushima Plant

OKAYAMA, Japan - Nov. 25, 2011 photo shows work on assembling the Minicab MiEV at the Mizushima Plant of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. The automaker aims to sell 4,000 units of the light commercial electric vehicle by the end of March 2012.

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Flooding in Thailand

BANGKOK, Thailand - A family with a baby who fled from the massive flooding in Thailand continue taking refuge at Don Muang airport, northern Bangkok, on Nov. 15, 2011. More than 4,000 people had taken shelter at the airport but most of them moved to other locations in late October after the airport itself was flooded. About 450 people were staying at the airport as of mid-November.

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Flood evacuees at Bangkok airport

BANGKOK, Japan - Photo shows flood evacuees inside Don Mueang airport in northern Bangkok on Oct. 24, 2011. More than 4,000 people have taken refuge at the domestic airport, where the government's flood relief operation center is located.

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Flood evacuees at Bangkok airport

BANGKOK, Japan - Tents are set up for flood evacuees inside Don Mueang airport in northern Bangkok on Oct. 24, 2011. More than 4,000 people have been taken refuge at the domestic airport, where the government's flood relief operation center is located.

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Half year after disaster

TOKYO, Japan - About 1,300 people join hands to surround the International Trade and Industry Ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 11, 2011, calling for an end to nuclear power on the six-month anniversary of the March 11 quake and tsunami, in a photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter. The disaster killed more than 15,700 people, while 4,000 remain missing, mainly in northeastern Japan. A nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, triggered by the natural disasters, continues.

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Half year after disaster

TOKYO, Japan - About 1,300 people join hands to surround the International Trade and Industry Ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 11, 2011, calling for an end to nuclear power on the six-month anniversary of the March 11 quake and tsunami. The disaster killed more than 15,700 people, while 4,000 remain missing, mainly in northeastern Japan. A nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, triggered by the natural disasters, continues.

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Half year after disaster

TOKYO, Japan - About 1,300 people join hands to surround the International Trade and Industry Ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 11, 2011, calling for an end to nuclear power on the six-month anniversary of the March 11 quake and tsunami, in a photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter. The disaster killed more than 15,700 people, while 4,000 remain missing, mainly in northeastern Japan. A nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, triggered by the natural disasters, continues.

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Half year after disaster

RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan - At the site where the main building of the Kongo Temple was swept away by a tsunami in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, a fire burns in a rite on Sept. 11, 2011, the six-month anniversary of the March 11 quake and tsunami. The ceremony was attended by Buddhist monks from six prefectures of the Tohoku area of northeastern Japan and some 250 other people. The March 11 disaster killed more than 15,700 people, while 4,000 remain missing, mainly in the Tohoku area.

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Half year after disaster

RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan - At the site where the main building of the Kongo Temple was swept away by a tsunami in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, a fire burns in a rite on Sept. 11, 2011, the six-month anniversary of the March 11 quake and tsunami. The ceremony was attended by Buddhist monks from six prefectures of the Tohoku area of northeastern Japan and some 250 other people. The March 11 disaster killed more than 15,700 people, while 4,000 remain missing, mainly in the Tohoku area.

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Half year after disaster

KESENNUMA, Japan - Parishioners offer a moment of silence at a site where their church was swept away by a tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, on Sept. 11, 2011, at 2:46 p.m., the time a devastating quake occurred a half year ago. The quake and subsequent tsunami killed more than 15,700 people, while 4,000 remain missing, mainly in northeastern Japan.

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Half year after disaster

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - About 200 people call for an end to nuclear power during a demonstration in the city of Fukushima on Sept. 11, 2011, the six-month anniversary of the March 11 quake and tsunami. The disaster killed more than 15,700 people, while 4,000 remain missing, mainly in northeastern Japan. A nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, triggered by the natural disasters, continues.

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Half year after disaster

KESENNUMA, Japan - A police officer holds flowers at a site where a house was swept away by a tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, in picture taken on Sept. 11, 2011, the six-month anniversary of the March 11 quake and tsunami. The disaster killed more than 15,700 people, while 4,000 remain missing, mainly in northeastern Japan.

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Ceremony ahead of Yakushiji pagoda renovation

NARA, Japan - A wooden plate is brought out from the east pagoda of Yakushiji, a Buddhist temple listed as a World Heritage site in Japan's ancient capital of Nara, during a ceremony on June 25, 2011, ahead of the pagoda's renovation this summer. About 4,000 people gathered to watch the ceremony.

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Renesas to cut 4,000 jobs

TOKYO, Japan - Renesas Electronics Corp. President Yasushi Akao speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on July 29, 2010. The computer chip maker announced it will cut 4,000 employees by fiscal 2012 to improve production and development.

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S. Koreans vote in local elections overshadowed by ship sinking

SEOUL, South Korea - Voters line up to cast their ballots in a local election at a polling station in Seoul on June 2, 2010. Nearly 4,000 officials, including 16 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, will be chosen in the first nationwide election in two years.

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S. Koreans vote in local elections overshadowed by ship sinking

SEOUL, South Korea - A woman casts her ballot in a local election at a polling station in Seoul on June 2, 2010. Nearly 4,000 officials, including 16 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, will be chosen in the first nationwide election in two years.

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S. Koreans vote in local elections overshadowed by ship sinking

SEOUL, South Korea - Seoul Mayor Oh Se Hoon, running for reelection for the ruling Grand National Party, and his wife Song Hyun Ok cast their ballots at a polling station in Seoul on June 2, 2010. Nearly 4,000 officials, including 16 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, will be chosen in the first nationwide election in two years.

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Aftermath of China quake

QINGHAI PROVINCE, China - Rescue workers take a rest on April 16, 2010, in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China's Qinghai Province, which was hit by a powerful earthquake that has claimed at least 790 lives. The altitude and topography of the quake-hit zone, which sits on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau 4,000 meters above sea level, have compounded the difficulties for rescuers.

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Aftermath of China quake

QINGHAI PROVINCE, China - Rescue workers and search dogs take a rest on April 16, 2010, in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China's Qinghai Province, which was hit by a powerful earthquake that has claimed at least 790 lives. The altitude and topography of the quake-hit zone, which sits on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau 4,000 meters above sea level, have compounded the difficulties for rescuers.

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Itai picked as Japan entrant for Miss Universe 2010 pageant

TOKYO, Japan - Maiko Itai (2nd from R) wipes tears after being named Miss Japan at a hotel in Tokyo on March 9, 2010. Itai, who lives in Usuki, Oita Prefecture, was picked from 11 contestants in the final round of the Japanese beauty pageant, which had about 4,000 applicants, and will go to the Miss Universe 2010 beauty pageant in July.

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Itai picked as Japan entrant for Miss Universe 2010 pageant

TOKYO, Japan - Maiko Itai reacts after being named Miss Japan at a hotel in Tokyo on March 9, 2010. Itai, who lives in Usuki, Oita Prefecture, was picked from 11 contestants in the final round of the Japanese beauty pageant, which had about 4,000 applicants, and will go to the Miss Universe 2010 beauty pageant in July.

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Emperor hands out gov't spring decorations at Imperial Palace

TOKYO, Japan - Emperor Akihito (L) hands out the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest honor in this spring's decorations awarded by the Japanese government, to former Japanese Trade Union Confederation President Etsuya Washio (2nd from R) as Prime Minister Taro Aso (C) looks on at the Imperial Palace on May 8. Washio was among seven recipients who were given the highest award this spring. About 4,000 people were awarded spring decorations for their contributions to the nation and public in various fields such as politics, business, and arts and culture. (Pool photo)

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Toyota union decides to demand 4,000 yen hike in monthly pay

NAGOYA, Japan - Mitsuyuki Tsuruoka, head of the Toyota Motor Corp. labor union, speaks to reporters at a hotel in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, on Feb. 12 about the union's demand for an average increase of 4,000 yen in the basic monthly pay of regular employees.

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Peking duck served at Olympic Athletes' Village in Beijing

BEIJING, China - Peking duck is served in the main food hall of the Olympic Athletes' Village, which was open to the media on Aug. 5. The hall, with space for 4,000 diners, serves an array of world cuisine in addition to Chinese food and is open 24 hours.

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Tokyo to launch annual pass for 9 historical Japanese gardens

TOKYO, Japan - The Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association will introduce an annual pass for nine historical gardens in Tokyo beginning Feb. 1. The price is 4,000 yen for adults and 2,000 yen for people over 65. The nine Japanese gardens are: Hamarikyu Onshi Teien (photo), Kiyosumi Teien, Koishikawa-Korakuen, Kyu-Furukawa Teien, Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Teien, Kyu-Shibarikyu Onshi Teien, Mukojima Hyakka-en, Tonogayato Teien and Rikugi-en. The current annual pass is valid for one garden only.

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Japanese fishermen head off to Russian waters to gather kelp

KUSHIRO, Japan - A fleet of Japanese fishing boats head toward the Russian-held Kaigara island off northeastern Hokkaido on June 1 to gather kelp, a giant seaweed extensively used in Japanese cooking. Sent off by their families who gathered at Cape Nosappu, about 250 Hokkaido fishing boats set off for the kelp grounds, about 3.7 kilometers away from Nosappu. Japanese fishermen paid 97.6 million yen to Russian authorities this year for the kelp-gathering rights. The amount of kelp to be gathered this season is set at 4,000 tons.

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Coast guard helicopter stages rescue drill in Tokyo Bay

TOKYO, Japan - A Japan Coast Guard helicopter stages a mock rescue operation during a coast guard parade and rescue drill in Tokyo Bay on May 26. A total of 64 coast guard vessels from Japan and overseas took part in the event, with 4,000 invited guests attending.

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(4)AUM founder Asahara to face verdict

TOKYO, Japan - More than 4,000 people line up at Hibiya Park on Feb. 27 to get tickets to the Tokyo District Court. The court is to hand down a ruling later in the day on Shoko Asahara, founder of the AUM Shinrikyo doomsday cult after an eight-year trial.

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JT to cut 4,000 jobs, close 1-3rd of factories

TOKYO, Japan - Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) President Katsuhiko Honda speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Aug. 6. He bared a medium-term management plan, in which the company will solicit applications for early retirement from about 4,000 employees and close about a third of its tobacco-manufacturing plants.

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American reaches Okinawa ending walking trip through Japan

NAHA, Japan - Gregory Michel, a 28-year-old American environmentalist, holds a bouquet at the Peace Memorial Park in the southern Okinawa city of Itoman on Dec. 14 after completing a two-year trip walking through Japan. Michel, a staff member of a private educational organization on the environment, began the trip sponsored by his organization, the World School Network in Tokyo, in September 1999 and spent about 300 days walking more than 4,000 kilometers through Japan, while living in a tent.