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Quake drill held nationwide on disaster preparedness day

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe inspects people engaged in a major quake drill in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Sept. 1., the nation's annual ''disaster preparedness day.'' About 630,000 people in 37 of the nation's 47 prefectures participated in similar quake drills on the day.

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New coronavirus

TOKYO, Japan, May 14 Kyodo - People wearing face masks walk near JR Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on May 14, 2020, ahead of the scheduled lifting later in the day of a coronavirus pandemic state of emergency in 39 of Japan's 47 prefectures.

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Artist "draws" world's largest "geoglyph" using GPS

Yasushi Takahashi, a 37-year-old artist, holds his GPS drawing in Saitama, north of Tokyo, in November 2014. He spent six months covering around 7,160 kilometers in 40 of Japan's 47 prefectures with a GPS tracker to draw images of "MARRY ME" and a heart and arrow across the archipelago in a unique marriage proposal. The drawing was recognized as the world's largest GPS drawing by Guinness World Records.

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Tottori students win comic strip contest

KOCHI, Japan - This three-panel comic strip drawn by a group of students from Yonago High School in Tottori Prefecture, western Japan, is awarded the top prize on Nov. 3, 2014, in a manga contest held for students in Tottori and Kochi prefectures, both of which boast of being the hometowns to great cartoon artists. Under the designated theme "47th place," the winning manga highlights how Tottori's population remains the least among Japan's 47 prefectures.

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Most victims on Mt. Ontake hit by falling rocks

OSAKA, Japan - The roofs of mountain lodges near the top of Mt. Ontake in central Japan are covered in thick volcanic ash on Oct. 2, 2014. Autopsies have determined that 46 of the 47 people confirmed to have died in the Sept. 27 eruption of the 3,067-meter volcano, straddling Nagano and Gifu prefectures, were hit by flying rocks.

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Rain halts search efforts on Mt. Ontake after fatal eruption

TOKYO, Japan - Smoke and clouds hang over Mt. Ontake in central Japan on Oct. 2, 2014, as search operations following an eruption on Sept. 27 are halted due to rain. Japan's worst postwar volcanic disaster on the 3,067-meter mountain straddling Nagano and Gifu prefectures had killed at least 47 people as of Oct. 2.

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Rain halts search efforts on Mt. Ontake after fatal eruption

OTAKI, Japan - Firefighters walk in the village of Otaki, Nagano Prefecture, on Oct. 2, 2014, after search operations around the top of Mt. Ontake, which erupted on Sept. 27, are halted due to rain. Japan's worst postwar volcanic disaster on the 3,067-meter mountain straddling Nagano and Gifu prefectures had killed at least 47 people as of Oct. 2.

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Converted EV embarks on demonstration tour

TOKYO, Japan - Isshu Sugawara (L), senior vice minister of economy, trade and industry, takes a test ride in an electric vehicle converted from the two-seat Caterham Super Seven, a British sports car, at the ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 24, 2013, at a ceremony to mark the start of the EV's demonstration run around Japan. To his right is Tadashi Tateuchi, leader of the Japan Electric Vehicle Club. The EV, made by replacing a gasoline engine with motor, battery and other parts, will return to Tokyo on Nov. 17 after visiting 46 of Japan's 47 prefectures.

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Converted EV embarks on demonstration tour

TOKYO, Japan - An electric vehicle (front) converted from the two-seat Caterham Super Seven, a British sports car, leaves the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 24, 2013, for a demonstration run around Japan. The converted EV, made by replacing a gasoline engine with motor, battery and other parts, will return to Tokyo on Nov. 17 after visiting 46 of Japan's 47 prefectures. The two EVs in the background will accompany it on the journey.

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Cherry blossoms from around Japan

TOKYO, Japan - An arrangement of cherry blossoms is exhibited at an event space at the Yurakucho branch of Lumine Co., a shopping complex chain operator, in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district on March 22, 2012. Branches of cherry trees were collected from all 47 prefectures in Japan for the ''Sakura Project'' event through March 25.

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Solar power plant in Hokkaido

OBIHIRO, Japan - Softbank Corp., which has formed a natural energy council with 35 of Japan's 47 prefectures, launches power generation at a 100-kilowatt experimental solar power plant in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on Dec. 15, 2011.

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Foreign tourism drops in Mt. Fuji region

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows people climbing Mt. Fuji on July 1, 2011. The Japan Tourism Agency said in late October 2011 that the March triple disasters of quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis have apparently hit foreign tourism hardest in Yamanashi, home of Mt. Fuji, among Japan's 47 prefectures, with a 91 percent fall in visitors in the April-June quarter from a year earlier, a margin wider even than in northeastern Japan where the damage was greatest.

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Kyoto Gov. Yamada elected head of prefectural chiefs' group

TOKYO, Japan - Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on April 26, 2011. Yamada won the election for the presidency of the group made up of the chiefs of Japan's 47 prefectures, succeeding Wataru Aso who has retired as Fukuoka governor.

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Regional elections across Japan

OSAKA, Japan - Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto casts his ballot in the election on April 10, 2011, to choose members of the Osaka prefectural assembly at a polling station in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture. The first of two unified rounds of regional polls slated for April were held the same day to pick governors of 12 of Japan's 47 prefectures, mayors of four cities and assembly members of 41 prefectures and 15 of the country's major cities. (Pool photo)

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Shimane promotional calendar with self-deprecating humor

TOKYO, Japan - An employee at an antenna shop of Shimane Prefecture's Tokyo office in the Nihombashi district holds a calendar promoting Shimane on Jan. 21, 2011. The calendar, produced by the office, uses self-deprecating humor, such as saying ''It's the 47th most famous'' of Japan's 47 prefectures, to draw public attention to the western region.

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N700 Series of bullet train cars

FUKUOKA, Japan - Photo taken in July 2010 shows the N700 Series of bullet train cars that will be employed on West Japan Railway Co.'s shinkansen train line connecting Osaka and Kagoshima prefectures. The fastest bullet train aims to connect Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima Chuo stations in 3 hours and 47 minutes when the operation of the train service is expected to be launched on March 12, 2011.

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Seven-Eleven stores offer some city office services

TOKYO, Japan - Seven-Eleven Japan Co. President Ryuichi Isaka (3rd from L) and others cut the ribbon at a Seven-Eleven store in Tokyo on Feb. 2, 2010, marking the start of a new service enabling customers to issue certification of residence and personal seals at some of their convenience stores, instead of going to city offices. The service will be extended to all of about 12,600 Seven-Eleven outlets in 38 of 47 prefectures in Japan by May.

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Security cameras to be installed in 15 residential areas in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken June 25 shows a security camera set up near a street in the Roppongi area of Tokyo. The National Police Agency said the same day that it will install a network of security cameras at 15 residential areas in 14 out of the country's 47 prefectures as part of nationwide crime-prevention efforts.

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Nationwide quake drill held on disaster preparedness day

KISHIWADA, Japan - Rescue workers conduct a quake drill in Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture, on Sept. 1, Japan's Disaster Preparedness Day, on the assumption that a magnitude-8.6 earthquake centering on the southern coast of Wakayama has jolted Aichi, Mie, Wakayama and Kochi prefectures and derailed a train running on elevated rail tracks. A total of 590,000 people took part in various disaster preparation drills in 30 of Japan's 47 prefectures. (Pool photo)

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Nationwide quake drill held on disaster preparedness day

KISHIWADA, Japan - Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (C) inspects a quake drill in Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture, on Sept. 1. The government held a nationwide quake drill, with 590,000 people from 30 of Japan's 47 prefectures taking part under the assumption that a magnitude-8.6 earthquake centering on the southern coast of Wakayama hits a wide area covering Aichi, Mie, Wakayama and Kochi prefectures.

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63rd national ski championships opens in Nagano

NOZAWA ONSEN, Japan - The 63rd national ski championships opened at Nozawa Onsen ski resort in Nagano Prefecture on Feb. 20. A total of 1,837 athletes and ski officials from 47 prefectures are taking in the event, which will run through Feb. 22. The photo shows Tsuyoshi Tomii taking the athlete's vow at the opening ceremony held at Nozawa Onsen Gymnasium on Feb. 19.

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Terrestrial digital TV broadcasts cover all prefectures in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses a ceremony held at a Tokyo hotel on Dec. 1 to mark the start of terrestrial digital TV broadcasts in eight prefectures in western Japan, which made it possible for people to view the high quality broadcasts in all 47 prefectures.

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Zenshoku restaurant chain resumes using U.S. beef

OSAKA, Japan - Guests enjoy eating an Osaka barbecur restaurant as restaurant chain operator Zenshoku Co. restarted offering dishes using U.S. beef at its 57 shops in Tokyo and 11 of the nation's 47 prefectures on Aug. 29. Zenshoku has become the first major restaurant chain in Japan to serve U.S. beef since the government removed its import ban on American beef in late July.

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(2)National sports meet opens in Shizuoka

FUKUROI, Japan - Some 20,000 athletes and officials from 47 prefectures take part in the opening ceremony of the 58th national sports meet in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Oct. 25.

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Campaigns begin for Japan's local assembly elections

KOBE, Japan - Voters listen to a candidate for a local assembly election in Kobe, western Japan, on April 4 as official campaigning got under way the same day for assembly elections in all 47 prefectures except Tokyo, Ibaraki and Okinawa, and in the 13 major cities except Kitakyushu.

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Koizumi plans to integrate, privatize 4 gov't road entities

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi speaks at a public meeting in Tokyo on Nov. 18. He said he plans to integrate four government-backed highway construction entities and privatize the resulting organization as part of his administrative reform program. The meeting is the last of the ''town meetings'' his cabinet has been holding in each of Japan's 47 prefectures.

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Traffic jams cost Japan a lot

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows traffic jams on Tokyo's No. 7 Circle Road. The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry released a report June 16, estimating annual economic losses stemming from daily traffic jams throughout Japan at 12 trillion yen, or 95,000 yen per capita. Tokyo suffered the highest annual loss among Japan's 47 prefectures at 1.55 trillion yen.

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Koizumi leads in LDP primaries voting

TOKYO, Japan - Junichiro Koizumi, the front runner in the primary elections of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is surrounded by reporters in Tokyo on April 23 as counting of ballots cast in the primaries started in the remaining 24 of Japan's 47 prefectures. As of April 22, former health minister Koizumi had won 20 of the 47 prefectures, garnering 59 votes in all.

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Ballot counting begins in 8 LDP presidency primaries

FUKUOKA, Japan - Fukuoka prefectural branch officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) count ballots cast in an LDP primary election at a hotel in Fukuoka city on April 21. Primary elections in eight of Japan's 47 prefectures began ahead of the party presidential election on April 24 to choose a successor to outgoing Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.

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Koizumi maintains lead in LDP primaries

TOKYO, Japan - Junichiro Koizumi, the front runner in the prefectural preliminary elections for the April 24 presidential race of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), leaves the LDP's headquarters in Tokyo on April 22. As of the evening of April 22, former Health and Welfare Minister Koizumi had captured 18 of the 47 prefectures, followed by former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, who has won two.

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Chinese drink found to contain Viagra element

NAGOYA, Japan - The Aichi prefectural government has found a so-called health drink imported from China (photo) contains an active ingredient of the anti-impotence drug Viagra and directed the importer in Nagoya to recall the product, officials said Feb. 8. The importer, ASG in Nagoya's Meito Ward, imported 47,000 20-milliliter bottles of the drink from China between February last year and January and has sold 43,000 bottles, mostly in drugstores in Aichi and other prefectures.

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Police raid locations linked to 4 Red Army members

TOKYO, Japan - Police on April 7 search one of locations in Tokyo linked to four Japanese Red Army members arrested and detained in Japan last month after being deported from Lebanon. More than 30 locations in 11 prefectures linked to the four were raided by police that day. The four members are Masao Adachi, 60, Mariko Yamamoto, 59, Haruo Wako, 51, and Kazuo Tohira, 47.

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COVID quasi-emergency to cover 34 of Japan's 47 prefs. amid Omicron

Japan will decide Tuesday to expand a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency to 34 of the nation's 47 prefectures with the addition of 18 more areas to stem the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Effective from Thursday to Feb. 20, the quasi-emergency is intended to reduce the strain on the health care system and prevent a shortage of essential workers that could result from a surge in infections and close contacts. The governors of the 18 prefectures, including Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo in the Kansai region in western Japan, will be able to request restaurants and bars to shorten their business hours and stop or limit the serving of alcohol. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to make a final decision later in the day on the addition as well as on extending the quasi-emergency curbs that have been in place since Jan. 9 in Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima prefectures beyond Jan. 31 to Feb. 20.

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Japan to add 18 more areas under COVID quasi-emergency

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets the press at his office in Tokyo on Jan. 24, 2022. He unveiled a plan to expand a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency to 34 of the nation's 47 prefectures by adding 18 more areas to cope with a recent Omicron strain-driven spike in coronavirus cases.

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Japan to add 18 more areas under COVID quasi-emergency

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets the press at his office in Tokyo on Jan. 24, 2022. He unveiled a plan to expand a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency to 34 of the nation's 47 prefectures by adding 18 more areas to cope with a recent Omicron strain-driven spike in coronavirus cases.

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Japan to add 18 more areas under COVID quasi-emergency

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets the press at his office in Tokyo on Jan. 24, 2022. He unveiled a plan to expand a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency to 34 of the nation's 47 prefectures by adding 18 more areas to cope with a recent Omicron strain-driven spike in coronavirus cases.

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Scene of Sapporo amid coronavirus pandemic

People walk in Susukino area in Sapporo, Hokkaido, on Sept. 13, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 state of emergency covering 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures had been slated to end Sept. 12 but extended through Sept. 30 in 19 prefectures including Tokyo and Hokkaido.

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Scene of Tokyo amid coronavirus pandemic

People walk in Tokyo's Shibuya area on Sept. 13, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 state of emergency covering 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures had been slated to end Sept. 12 but extended through Sept. 30 in 19 prefectures including Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido.

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Scene of Osaka amid coronavirus pandemic

People walk in Osaka's Minami area on Sept. 13, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 state of emergency covering 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures had been slated to end Sept. 12 but extended through Sept. 30 in 19 prefectures including Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido.

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Scene of Tokyo amid coronavirus pandemic

People walk in Tokyo's Shibuya area on Sept. 13, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 state of emergency covering 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures had been slated to end Sept. 12 but extended through Sept. 30 in 19 prefectures including Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido.

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Scene of Tokyo amid coronavirus pandemic

People walk in Tokyo's Shibuya area on Sept. 13, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 state of emergency covering 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures had been slated to end Sept. 12 but extended through Sept. 30 in 19 prefectures including Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido.

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Scene of Osaka amid coronavirus pandemic

People walk in Osaka's Minami area on Sept. 13, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 state of emergency covering 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures had been slated to end Sept. 12 but extended through Sept. 30 in 19 prefectures including Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido.

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Scene of Osaka amid coronavirus pandemic

People walk in Osaka's Minami area on Sept. 13, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 state of emergency covering 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures had been slated to end Sept. 12 but extended through Sept. 30 in 19 prefectures including Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido.

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Japan decides to expand COVID-19 state of emergency to 8 more prefs.

The Japanese government decided Wednesday to place eight more prefectures under its COVID-19 state of emergency as the country battles to contain a surge of infections increasingly driven by younger people and prevent a stretched medical system from collapse. The addition of Hokkaido, Miyagi, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Shiga, Okayama and Hiroshima means that 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures are now under the state of emergency that includes Tokyo and Osaka, affecting over 75 percent of the population. The measure will run from Friday to Sept. 12.

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Flame-gathering ceremony for Tokyo Paralympics

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks during a ceremony to merge the flames ignited in Japan's 47 prefectures and in Britain's Stoke Mandeville into one for the Tokyo Paralympics on Aug. 20, 2021, at the State Guest House in Tokyo.

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Flame-gathering ceremony for Tokyo Paralympics

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a ceremony to merge the flames ignited in Japan's 47 prefectures and in Britain's Stoke Mandeville into one for the Tokyo Paralympics on Aug. 20, 2021, at the State Guest House in Tokyo.

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Flame-gathering ceremony for Tokyo Paralympics

International Paralympic Committee chief Andrew Parsons speaks during a ceremony to merge the flames ignited in Japan's 47 prefectures and in Britain's Stoke Mandeville into one for the Tokyo Paralympics on Aug. 20, 2021, at the State Guest House in Tokyo.

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Flame-gathering ceremony for Tokyo Paralympics

(From L) Three-time Olympic judo gold medalist Tadahiro Nomura, torch relay official ambassador Aki Taguchi and actress Satomi Ishihara attend a ceremony at the State Guest House in Tokyo on Aug. 20, 2021, as the flames ignited in Japan's 47 prefectures and in Britain's Stoke Mandeville are merged into one for the Tokyo Paralympics.

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Flame-gathering ceremony for Tokyo Paralympics

(From L) Three-time Olympic judo gold medalist Tadahiro Nomura, torch relay official ambassador Aki Taguchi and actress Satomi Ishihara attend a ceremony at the State Guest House in Tokyo on Aug. 20, 2021, as the flames ignited in Japan's 47 prefectures and in Britain's Stoke Mandeville are merged into one for the Tokyo Paralympics.

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Flame-gathering ceremony for Tokyo Paralympics

A ceremony to merge the flames ignited in Japan's 47 prefectures and in Britain's Stoke Mandeville into one is held for the Tokyo Paralympics on Aug. 20, 2021, at the State Guest House in Tokyo.