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Tohoku bullet train services to be extended to Aomori City

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken in December 2009 shows a new model of train, nicknamed on May 11, 2010, as ''Hayabusa (falcon),'' to be introduced to the Tohoku Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori in the spring of 2011. East Japan Railway Co. said the same day that the bullet train services will be extended to Shin-Aomori on Dec. 4 with the opening of a roughly 80-kilometer section in northeastern Japan.

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Hirayama's unfinished work unveiled

KAMAKURA, Japan - Michiko Hirayama (L), wife of the late Japanese painter Ikuo Hirayama, and their daughter Yayoi unveil flower paintings drawn by Hirayama at his atelier in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Feb. 11, 2010. Hirayama, who is best known for his works themed on the Silk Road and Buddhism, passed away on Dec. 2, 2009.

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Hirayama's unfinished work unveiled

KAMAKURA, Japan - Michiko Hirayama (L), wife of the late Japanese painter Ikuo Hirayama, and their daughter Yayoi unveil Hirayama's unfinished work at his atelier in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Feb. 11, 2010. Hirayama, whose photo is being held by Michiko, passed away Dec. 2, 2009, and had been working on the painting from last July to September from his hospital bed.

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Power, gas firms encouraging households to produce energy

TOKYO, Japan - Fumiyo Ugajin points to the Ene-Farm unit at her new home in Saitama City's Urawa Ward in Saitama Prefecture on Dec. 11, 2009.

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Court sentences dissident Liu to 11 years' jail for subversion

BEIJING, China - Liu Xia, wife of prominent Chinese human rights defender and political dissident Liu Xiaobo, speaks to reporters in Beijing on Dec. 25, 2009 after the First Intermediate People's Court of Beijing Municipality sentenced him to 11 years in prison for subversion.

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Court sentences dissident Liu to 11 years' jail for subversion

BEIJING, China - Liu Xia, wife of prominent Chinese human rights defender and political dissident Liu Xiaobo, looks downcast in Beijing on Dec. 25, 2009 after the First Intermediate People's Court of Beijing Municipality sentenced him to 11 years in prison for subversion.

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China court sentences dissident Liu to 11 years in prison

BEIJING, China - Police officers stand guard on Dec. 25, 2009, near the First Intermediate People's Court of Beijing Municipality prior to the ruling on Chinese political dissident Liu Xiaobo. Liu, a prominent pro-democracy writer and former literature professor who helped draft a pro-democracy petition known as ''Charter 08,'' was sentenced to 11 years in prison for subversion.

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China court sentences dissident Liu to 11 years in prison

BEIJING, China - Shang Baojun, one of the defense lawyers for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, arrives at a Beijing court on Dec. 25, 2009, to hear the court's decision. Liu, a prominent pro-democracy writer and former literature professor who helped draft a pro-democracy petition known as ''Charter 08,'' was sentenced to 11 years in prison for subversion.

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Thai authorities study arms cache from North Korea

BANGKOK, Thailand - Photo shows a part of a weapon shipped from North Korea seized by Thai authorities and transferred to the Royal Thai Air Force base in Nakhon Sawan Province in central Thailand on Dec. 15, 2009. The authorities confiscated 35 tons of weapons in a cargo plane which made a fueling stopover at Bangkok's Don Muang airport on Dec. 11, 2009.

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Thai authorities study arms cache from North Korea

BANGKOK, Thailand - Photo shows one of the items shipped from North Korea, believed to be a weapon part, that were seized by Thai authorities and transferred to the Royal Thai Air Force base in Nakhon Sawan Province in central Thailand on Dec. 15, 2009. The authorities confiscated 35 tons of weapons in a cargo plane which made a fueling stopover at Bangkok's Don Muang airport on Dec. 11, 2009.

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Thai authorities study arms cache from North Korea

BANGKOK, Thailand - Specialists examine weapons from North Korea seized by Thai authorities and transferred to the Royal Thai Air Force base in Nakhon Sawan Province in central Thailand on Dec. 15, 2009. The authorities confiscated 35 tons of weapons in a cargo plane which made a fueling stopover at Bangkok's Don Muang airport on Dec. 11, 2009.

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Japan's Uemura 2nd at World Cup opener

SUOMU, Finland - Japan's Aiko Uemura flies through the air during the opener in this year's World Cup series of the women's moguls in Suomu, Finland, on Dec. 11, 2009. Uemura won second place in the event.

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Davis of U.S. sets 1,500-meter world record

SALT LAKE CITY, United States - Shani Davis of the United States skates to victory in the men's 1,500 meters at a World Cup meet in Salt Lake City on Dec. 11, 2009, setting a world record of 1 minute, 41.04 seconds.

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China calls for Kyoto Protocol extension

NEW YORK, United States - Liu Zhenmin, China's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, speaks to reporters in New York on Dec. 11, 2009. Liu reiterated his country's position that the Kyoto Protocol should continue rather than be replaced.

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Wolf of Germany sets 500-meter world record

SALT LAKE CITY, United States - Jenny Wolf of Germany skates to victory in the women's 500 meters at a World Cup meet in Salt Lake City on Dec. 11, 2009, setting a world record of 37.00 seconds.

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Japan's Oikawa 2nd in World Cup meet

SALT LAKE CITY, United States - Japan's Yuya Oikawa (L) skates to second place in the men's 500 meters at a World Cup meet in Salt Lake City on Dec. 11, 2009. Oikawa clocked 34.27 seconds setting a national record.

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Japan's Uemura 2nd at World Cup opener

SUOMU, Finland - Japan's Aiko Uemura celebrates after placing second at the opener in this year's World Cup series of the women's moguls in Suomu, Finland, on Dec. 11, 2009.

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Japan's Uemura 2nd at World Cup opener

SUOMU, Finland - Japan's Aiko Uemura skies during the opener in this year's World Cup series of the women's moguls in Suomu, Finland, on Dec. 11, 2009. Uemura won second place in the event.

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Winners of women's moguls World Cup opener

SUOMU, Finland - (From R) Aiko Uemura of Japan, Kristi Richards of Canada and Hannah Kearney of the United States pose for photographers after the opener in this year's World Cup series of the women's moguls in Suomu, Finland, on Dec. 11, 2009. Richards won the competition, while Uemura came second.

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Japan's Uemura 2nd at World Cup opener

SUOMU, Finland - Japan's Aiko Uemura celebrates after placing second at the opener in this year's World Cup series of the women's moguls in Suomu, Finland, on Dec. 11, 2009.

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Japan's Oikawa 2nd in World Cup meet

SALT LAKE CITY, United States - Japan's Yuya Oikawa celebrates after placing second in the men's 500 meters at a World Cup meet in Salt Lake City on Dec. 11, 2009. Oikawa clocked 34.27 seconds setting a national record.

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Ruling coalition leaders meet to discuss contentious issues

TOKYO, Japan - Shizuka Kamei, leader of the People's New Party, leaves a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo on Dec. 11, 2009, after meeting with the other two leaders of the coalition government -- Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who concurrently serves as president of the Democratic Party of Japan, and Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima.

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Japan's Uemura 2nd at World Cup opener

SUOMU, Finland - Japan's Aiko Uemura skies during the opener in this year's World Cup series of the women's moguls in Suomu, Finland, on Dec. 11, 2009. Uemura won second place in the event.

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Ruling coalition leaders meet to discuss contentious issues

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama leaves a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo on Dec. 11, 2009, after meeting with the leaders of his Democratic Party of Japan's junior coalition partners -- Mizuho Fukushima of the Social Democratic Party and Shizuka Kamei of the People's New Party.

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Fujitsu chief says firm to revamp chip business

TOKYO, Japan - Michiyoshi Mazuka, president of Fujitsu Ltd., speaks in an interview with interview with Kyodo News in Tokyo on Dec. 11, 2009. Mazuka said Fujitsu will take on drastic reforms such as realignment of its production lines to turn around the firm's struggling semiconductor business.

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Ruling coalition leaders meet to discuss contentious issues

TOKYO, Japan - Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima leaves a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo on Dec. 11, 2009, after meeting with the other two leaders of the coalition government -- Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who concurrently serves as president of the Democratic Party of Japan, and Shizuka Kamei, leader of the People's New Party.

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Hatoyama willing to visit N. Korea if needed

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Dec. 11, 2009, after meeting with relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea. Hatoyama expressed willingness to visit North Korea ''if necessary'' to resolve the stalled abduction issue.

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Japan's Ebinuma wins men's 66kg-class at Grand Slam judo

TOKYO, Japan - Japan's Masashi Ebinuma throws South Korea's Kim Joo Jin to win the gold in the men's 66-kilogram-class final at the Grand Slam Tokyo international judo tournament in Tokyo on Dec. 11, 2009.

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Japan's Ogata wins women's 78kg-class at Grand Slam judo

TOKYO, Japan - Japan's Akari Ogata (front) overpowers compatriot Sayaka Anai in the women's 78-kilogram-class final at Grand Slam Tokyo 2009 international judo tournament in Tokyo on Dec. 11, 2009. Ogata won the gold.

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Japan's Tsukada wins women's over 78kg-class at Grand Slam judo

TOKYO, Japan - Japan's Maki Tsukada throws Russia's Elena Ivashchenko to win the gold in the women's over 78-kilogram-class final at the Grand Slam Tokyo international judo tournament in Tokyo on Dec. 11, 2009.

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Taiwan, Japan sign agreement linking airports

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Reijiro Hattori (L), director of Japan's Interchange Association, and Peng Run-tzu, director of Taiwan's Association for East Asian Relations, shake hands at a hotel in Taipei on Dec. 11, 2009, after signing agreements to link up Taipei's Songshan airport and Tokyo's Haneda airport with four daily flights next year.

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Kanji meaning 'new' picked to best characterize year 2009

KYOTO, Japan - Seihan Mori (R), chief priest of Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto, and Akio Kioi, head of the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, pose for photos after Mori wrote the character ''shin'' on a large piece of ''washi'' Japanese paper on Dec. 11, 2009. The character, which means ''new'' in English, has been chosen as the single best kanji to symbolize the year 2009.

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Closer Iwase agrees to same money in 2010

NAGOYA, Japan - Chunichi Dragons closer Hitoki Iwase speaks at a news conference in Nagoya on Dec. 11, 2009, after re-signing with the Central League baseball club for 430 million yen in 2010. Iwase will become the highest paid active pitcher for the fourth year in a row.

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Iwakuma re-signs with Rakuten

TOKYO, Japan - Rakuten Eagles ace Hisashi Iwakuma speaks at a news conference in Sendai on Dec. 11, 2009, after re-signing with the Pacific League baseball club for 300 million yen plus incentives in 2010. Iwakuma will earn the same wage as this year after going 13-6 with a 3.25 ERA.

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Kanji meaning 'new' picked to best characterize year 2009

KYOTO, Japan - Seihan Mori, chief priest of Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto, writes the character ''shin,'' which means ''new'' in English, with a dash of a calligraphy brush on a large piece of ''washi'' Japanese paper on Dec. 11, 2009. The character has been chosen as the single best kanji to symbolize the year 2009.

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DPJ's No. 2 leader Ozawa leaves for Beijing

TOKYO, Japan - Ichiro Ozawa, secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, leaves Tokyo's Haneda airport on Dec. 10, 2009, for Beijing, where he will hold talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Ozawa is scheduled to travel to Seoul on Dec. 11 for talks with South Korean President Lee Myung Bak.

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Japan power broker Ozawa leaves for Beijing

TOKYO, Japan - Ichiro Ozawa (C), secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, gives a wave as he leaves Tokyo's Haneda airport on Dec. 10, 2009, for Beijing for talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Ozawa, an influential power broker in Japan, is scheduled to travel to Seoul on Dec. 11 for talks with South Korean President Lee Myung Bak.

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Surfing Santas event held in Netherlands

STORY: Surfing Santas event held in Netherlands DATELINE: Dec. 11, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:44 LOCATION: THE HAGUE, the Netherlands CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the event STORYLINE: Hundreds of surfers dressed as Santa Claus descended in the cold North Sea on Saturday on Scheveningen beach in the Hague, the Netherlands. Despite fog and cold, surfers braved the waves of the North Sea as they enjoyed a great time during the Dutch version of the internationally known Surfing Santas event. Surfing Santas, which has been a hit for some time in places like Cocoa Beach, the United States, and Bondi Beach, Australia, is relatively new in Europe. Surfing Santas was first held in 2009 on Cocoa Beach, the U.S. state of Florida. Since then, the event has become an annual international festival, where participants dress up as Santa Claus and surf while spectators watch from the beach. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from the Hague, the Netherlands. (XHTV)

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Soccer: Magath to sign 1-year deal with Sagan

Photo taken Jan. 5, 2009, shows former Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath. Magath, 62, will sign a one-year deal to manage J-League first-division side Sagan Tosu, Kyodo News learned Dec. 11, 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Court sentences dissident Liu to 11 years' jail for subversion

BEIJING, China - Liu Xia, wife of prominent Chinese human rights defender and political dissident Liu Xiaobo, looks downcast in Beijing on Dec. 25, 2009 after the First Intermediate People's Court of Beijing Municipality sentenced him to 11 years in prison for subversion. (Kyodo)

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Court sentences dissident Liu to 11 years' jail for subversion

BEIJING, China - Liu Xia, wife of prominent Chinese human rights defender and political dissident Liu Xiaobo, speaks to reporters in Beijing on Dec. 25, 2009 after the First Intermediate People's Court of Beijing Municipality sentenced him to 11 years in prison for subversion. (Kyodo)

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China court sentences dissident Liu to 11 years in prison

BEIJING, China - Police officers stand guard on Dec. 25, 2009, near the First Intermediate People's Court of Beijing Municipality prior to the ruling on Chinese political dissident Liu Xiaobo. Liu, a prominent pro-democracy writer and former literature professor who helped draft a pro-democracy petition known as ''Charter 08,'' was sentenced to 11 years in prison for subversion. (Kyodo)

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China court sentences dissident Liu to 11 years in prison

BEIJING, China - Shang Baojun, one of the defense lawyers for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, arrives at a Beijing court on Dec. 25, 2009, to hear the court's decision. Liu, a prominent pro-democracy writer and former literature professor who helped draft a pro-democracy petition known as ''Charter 08,'' was sentenced to 11 years in prison for subversion. (Kyodo)

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Austrian winegrower produces 'Tenno' red wine

EISENSTADT, Austria - Rudolf Kaiser (L) and his son Kurt, seen in this Dec. 11, 2009 photo, produce a high quality red wine called ''Tenno'' at their winery near Eisenstadt in the eastern Austrian province of Burgenland. (Kyodo)

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China calls for Kyoto Protocol extension

NEW YORK, United States - Liu Zhenmin, China's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, speaks to reporters in New York on Dec. 11, 2009. Liu reiterated his country's position that the Kyoto Protocol should continue rather than be replaced. (Kyodo)

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Tohoku bullet train services to be extended to Aomori City

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken in December 2009 shows a new model of train, nicknamed on May 11, 2010, as ''Hayabusa (falcon),'' to be introduced to the Tohoku Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori in the spring of 2011. East Japan Railway Co. said the same day that the bullet train services will be extended to Shin-Aomori on Dec. 4 with the opening of a roughly 80-kilometer section in northeastern Japan. (Kyodo)

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Hirayama's unfinished work unveiled

KAMAKURA, Japan - Michiko Hirayama (L), wife of the late Japanese painter Ikuo Hirayama, and their daughter Yayoi unveil Hirayama's unfinished work at his atelier in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Feb. 11, 2010. Hirayama, whose photo is being held by Michiko, passed away Dec. 2, 2009, and had been working on the painting from last July to September from his hospital bed. (Kyodo)

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Hirayama's unfinished work unveiled

KAMAKURA, Japan - Michiko Hirayama (L), wife of the late Japanese painter Ikuo Hirayama, and their daughter Yayoi unveil flower paintings drawn by Hirayama at his atelier in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Feb. 11, 2010. Hirayama, who is best known for his works themed on the Silk Road and Buddhism, passed away on Dec. 2, 2009. (Kyodo)

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Thai authorities study arms cache from North Korea

BANGKOK, Thailand - Photo shows a part of a weapon shipped from North Korea seized by Thai authorities and transferred to the Royal Thai Air Force base in Nakhon Sawan Province in central Thailand on Dec. 15, 2009. The authorities confiscated 35 tons of weapons in a cargo plane which made a fueling stopover at Bangkok's Don Muang airport on Dec. 11, 2009. (Kyodo)

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Thai authorities study arms cache from North Korea

BANGKOK, Thailand - Photo shows one of the items shipped from North Korea, believed to be a weapon part, that were seized by Thai authorities and transferred to the Royal Thai Air Force base in Nakhon Sawan Province in central Thailand on Dec. 15, 2009. The authorities confiscated 35 tons of weapons in a cargo plane which made a fueling stopover at Bangkok's Don Muang airport on Dec. 11, 2009. (Kyodo)