Search｜Photos & Images & Videos｜KYODO NEWS IMAGES INC

Japan lawmakers visit Yasukuni shrine

Ichiro Aisawa (L), leader of a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers for visiting Yasukuni Shrine, speaks during a press conference after the group's visit to the war-linked Shinto shrine in Tokyo on the occasion of the shrine's three-day autumn festival on Oct. 17, 2025.

E

Yasukuni shrine

TOKYO, Japan, Oct. 18 Kyodo - A cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers visit the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo on Oct. 18, 2023, during the shrine's three-day autumn festival.

E

Japan lawmakers visit Yasukuni shrine

A cross-party group of lawmakers, including the group's vice leader Ichiro Aisawa (front, R), visit the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo for its spring festival on April 21, 2023.

E

Japan lawmakers visit Yasukuni shrine

A cross-party group of lawmakers, including the group's vice leader Ichiro Aisawa (2nd from L), visit the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo for its spring festival on April 21, 2023.

E

Japanese lawmakers visit Yasukuni

TOKYO, Japan - (From L) Takeo Hiranuma, chairman of the small opposition Party for Future Generation as well as Liberal Democratic Party's Hidehisa Otsuji and Ichiro Aisawa lead a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Oct. 17, 2014, to pay homage during its autumn festival.

E

Extra Diet session set

TOKYO, Japan - Yoshio Hachiro (R), Diet affairs chief of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, meets his counterpart Ichiro Aisawa of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party at the Diet building in Tokyo on Sept. 22, 2010. Hachiro told a press conference an extra parliamentary session will convene Oct. 1.

E

China not optimistic toward early resumption of 6-way talks

BEIJING, China - Japanese Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Ichiro Aisawa speaks at a press conference at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Oct. 23 after meeting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei. Aizawa said that China is not optimistic toward an early resumption of the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs after the country's Oct. 9 nuclear test.

E

Victims of poison gas leak in China seek help from Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Victims of a 2003 poison gas leak from weapons abandoned by the Imperial Japanese Army in China visited Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa on Aug. 5 to urge the Japanese government to provide them with support. Six victims from Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, including three children, and their families presented a written demand to Aisawa.

E

Japan presses bid for permanent U.N. Security Council seat

NEW YORK, United States - Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (R, standing) addresses ambassadors and representatives from 68 countries to consolidate Japan's position of seeking a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Dec. 21.

E

Japan tells Annan it is ready for greater role at U.N.

NEW YORK, United States - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (L) shakes hands with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan at the U.N. headquarters on Dec. 20. Aisawa told reporters later he handed Annan a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that expressed Japan's strong resolve to achieve Security Council reform.

E

(4)2 Japanese released at Baghdad mosque

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa speaks to reporters in Dubai on April 17 following the release earlier in the day of two Japanese men held hostage near Baghdad.

E

Aisawa flies into Dubai from Amman

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (C) arrives in Dubai from Amman on April 16 to meet the three Japanese hostages released by an armed group in Iraq the previous day.

E

(2)Aisawa meets Jordan's prime minister

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (C) is surrounded by reporters after talks with Jordanian Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez in Amman to ask for help in rescuing three Japanese nationals taken hostage in Iraq. (Pool photo)

E

Aisawa complains of late release of Japanese hostages

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa talks with reporters in Amman on April 13. He expressed dissatisfaction as three Japanese civilians kidnapped in Iraq have yet to be released, compared with Koreans and other countries' people already freed by militant groups.

E

(2)Fate of 3 Japanese hostages still unknown

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa, who heads a hostage crisis task force at the Japanese Embassy in Amman, speaks about developments in the search for three Japanese civilians taken hostage by an armed group in Iraq.

E

(3)Fate of 3 Japanese hostages still unknown

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (C), who heads a hostage crisis task force at the Japanese Embassy in Amman, is surrounded by reporters in Amman on April 12 after holding a briefing on developments in the search for three Japanese civilians taken hostage by an armed group in Iraq.

E

Release of Japanese hostages still unconfirmed: Aisawa

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa speaks to reporters at the Japanese Embassy in Amman on April 11 about the hostage incident in which three Japanese have been captured by a militant group in Iraq. Aisawa denied reports that the three Japanese hostages were released.

E

Japan sets up Jordan HQ over kidnapping of 3 Japanese

AMMAN, Jordan - Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa speaks to reporters in front of an emergency office at the Japanese Embassy in Jordan on April 10. The office was set up to facilitate a possible release of three Japanese hostages in Iraq.

E

Senior Vice Foreign Minister Aisawa leaves for Jordan

TOKYO, Japan - Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa leaves Narita airport, northeast of Tokyo, on April 9 for Jordan to supervise local operations at the Japanese Embassy there in connection with a hostage incident in which three Japanese are being held captive in Iraq by a militant group calling itself Saraya al-Mujahideen.

E

Japan, U.S. ratify revised tax treaty

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker (L) and Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa shake hands after exchanging notes of ratification on a revised tax treaty in Tokyo on March 30. The revision, the first in 32 years, paved the way for cuts in taxes from this summer for companies operating in both nations.

E

Soccer star Stojkovic picked as Balkan confab goodwill envoy

TOKYO, Japan - Japan on March 17 named soccer star Dragan Stojkovic (R), who is now head of the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro, as a goodwill ambassador to a two-day international conference next month in Tokyo aimed at promoting peace and economic development in the western Balkans. Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (L) gave a letter of commission at the Foreign Ministry to Stojkovic, who had a successful career in Japan playing for Nagoya Grampus Eight in the J-League.

E

Aisawa meets Wang over N. Korea abductions

BEIJING, China - Senior Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (L) shakes hands with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Feb. 23 before their talks. Aisawa visited China to ask for Beijing's cooperation in resolving the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens.

E

SDF to guard Japanese diplomatic missions abroad

TOKYO, Japan - Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi walks in the Foreign Ministry on her way to attend an emergency meeting on Iraq on Dec. 2. Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa said later the government is considering allowing the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) troops to guard its diplomatic missions abroad. Kawaguchi said she thinks the government should discuss the matter.

E

Japan tells Annan it is ready for greater role at U.N.

NEW YORK, United States - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (L) shakes hands with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan at the U.N. headquarters on Dec. 20. Aisawa told reporters later he handed Annan a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that expressed Japan's strong resolve to achieve Security Council reform. (Kyodo)

E

Japan presses bid for permanent U.N. Security Council seat

NEW YORK, United States - Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (R, standing) addresses ambassadors and representatives from 68 countries to consolidate Japan's position of seeking a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Dec. 21. (Kyodo)

E

Victims of poison gas leak in China seek help from Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Victims of a 2003 poison gas leak from weapons abandoned by the Imperial Japanese Army in China visited Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa on Aug. 5 to urge the Japanese government to provide them with support. Six victims from Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, including three children, and their families presented a written demand to Aisawa. (Kyodo)

E

Release of Japanese hostages still unconfirmed: Aisawa

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa speaks to reporters at the Japanese Embassy in Amman on April 11 about the hostage incident in which three Japanese have been captured by a militant group in Iraq. Aisawa denied reports that the three Japanese hostages were released. (Kyodo)

E

Aisawa complains of late release of Japanese hostages

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa talks with reporters in Amman on April 13. He expressed dissatisfaction as three Japanese civilians kidnapped in Iraq have yet to be released, compared with Koreans and other countries' people already freed by militant groups. (Kyodo)

E

Aisawa flies into Dubai from Amman

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (C) arrives in Dubai from Amman on April 16 to meet the three Japanese hostages released by an armed group in Iraq the previous day. (Kyodo)

E

3 Japanese hostages heading back to Japan

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Recent high school graduate Noriaki Imai (3rd from L), photojournalist Soichiro Koriyama (2nd from L) and aid worker Nahoko Takato (2nd from R), former hostages in Iraq, head to a Dubai airport April 18 to return to Japan with Imai's brother Yosuke (L), Takato's brother Shuichi (3rd from R) and Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (R). (Kyodo)

E

(4)2 Japanese released at Baghdad mosque

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa speaks to reporters in Dubai on April 17 following the release earlier in the day of two Japanese men held hostage near Baghdad. (Kyodo)

E

(2)Aisawa meets Jordan's prime minister

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (C) is surrounded by reporters after talks with Jordanian Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez in Amman to ask for help in rescuing three Japanese nationals taken hostage in Iraq. (Pool photo)(Kyodo)

E

(1)Aisawa meets Jordan's prime minister

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (L) shakes hands with Jordanian Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez in Amman on April 13 in asking for help to rescue three Japanese nationals taken hostage in Iraq. (Pool photo)(Kyodo)

E

Extra Diet session set

TOKYO, Japan - Yoshio Hachiro (R), Diet affairs chief of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, meets his counterpart Ichiro Aisawa of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party at the Diet building in Tokyo on Sept. 22, 2010. Hachiro told a press conference an extra parliamentary session will convene Oct. 1. (Kyodo)

E

Japanese lawmakers visit Yasukuni

TOKYO, Japan - (From L) Takeo Hiranuma, chairman of the small opposition Party for Future Generation as well as Liberal Democratic Party's Hidehisa Otsuji and Ichiro Aisawa lead a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Oct. 17, 2014, to pay homage during its autumn festival. (Kyodo)

E

(2)Fate of 3 Japanese hostages still unknown

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa, who heads a hostage crisis task force at the Japanese Embassy in Amman, speaks about developments in the search for three Japanese civilians taken hostage by an armed group in Iraq. (Kyodo)

E

(3)Fate of 3 Japanese hostages still unknown

AMMAN, Jordan - Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (C), who heads a hostage crisis task force at the Japanese Embassy in Amman, is surrounded by reporters in Amman on April 12 after holding a briefing on developments in the search for three Japanese civilians taken hostage by an armed group in Iraq. (Kyodo)

E

Japan sets up Jordan HQ over kidnapping of 3 Japanese

AMMAN, Jordan - Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa speaks to reporters in front of an emergency office at the Japanese Embassy in Jordan on April 10. The office was set up to facilitate a possible release of three Japanese hostages in Iraq. (Kyodo)

E

Senior Vice Foreign Minister Aisawa leaves for Jordan

TOKYO, Japan - Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa leaves Narita airport, northeast of Tokyo, on April 9 for Jordan to supervise local operations at the Japanese Embassy there in connection with a hostage incident in which three Japanese are being held captive in Iraq by a militant group calling itself Saraya al-Mujahideen. (Kyodo)

E

Japan, U.S. ratify revised tax treaty

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker (L) and Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa shake hands after exchanging notes of ratification on a revised tax treaty in Tokyo on March 30. The revision, the first in 32 years, paved the way for cuts in taxes from this summer for companies operating in both nations. (Kyodo)

E

Soccer star Stojkovic picked as Balkan confab goodwill envoy

TOKYO, Japan - Japan on March 17 named soccer star Dragan Stojkovic (R), who is now head of the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro, as a goodwill ambassador to a two-day international conference next month in Tokyo aimed at promoting peace and economic development in the western Balkans. Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (L) gave a letter of commission at the Foreign Ministry to Stojkovic, who had a successful career in Japan playing for Nagoya Grampus Eight in the J-League. (Kyodo)

E

Aisawa meets Wang over N. Korea abductions

BEIJING, China - Senior Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa (L) shakes hands with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Feb. 23 before their talks. Aisawa visited China to ask for Beijing's cooperation in resolving the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens. (Kyodo)