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N. Korea's rocket

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows a North Korean long-range rocket lifting off from the Sohae Space Center in Tongchang-ri, North Korea, on Dec. 12, 2012. North Korea is presumed to have independently built most key parts of the rocket, while some commercially available materials were imported, South Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Jan. 21, 2013.

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Rush of holiday travelers peaks in Japan

NARITA, Japan - The departure lobby is crowded with passengers at Narita international airport near Tokyo on Dec. 29, 2012. Some 44,000 people were expected to leave the country from the airport the same day to spend their New Year holidays abroad. The number of travelers departing from the airport between Dec. 21 and Jan. 6 is estimated to reach around 600,000, up 7 percent from the previous year.

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Tokyo Station illuminated

TOKYO, Japan - The red-brick building of Tokyo Station is illuminated with computer graphics on Dec. 21, 2012, in an illumination and music event that began the same day and will run until Dec. 28.

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Sen. John Kerry

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows Sen. John Kerry, a longtime expert on foreign affairs. U.S. President Barack Obama on Dec. 21, 2012, nominated Kerry as secretary of state in his second term, replacing Hillary Clinton.

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Yamaha to set up sales company in Myanmar

TOKYO, Japan - Yamaha Motor Co. president Hiroyuki Yanagi speaks during an interview with Kyodo News on Dec. 21, 2012. Yanagi said Yamaha Motor will soon set up a company in Myanmar to sell its motorbikes there.

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Imperial Palace illuminated

TOKYO, Japan - The Imperial Household Agency conducts a rehearsal on Dec. 21, 2012 for illuminating the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, ahead of illuminating the palace between Dec. 23, the birthday of Emperor Akihito, and Jan. 6, 2013.

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Antinuclear rally in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - A large antinuclear rally is held in the Nagatacho district of Tokyo, where the prime minister's office and the Diet building are located, on Dec. 21, 2012, the first since the Dec. 16 general election in which the Democratic Party of Japan suffered a crushing defeat, allowing the Liberal Democratic Party to regain power. The LDP has said it plans to make a comprehensive decision on restarts for all nuclear reactors in the country within three years, in sharp contrast to the DPJ, which pledged to phase out nuclear energy by the 2030s.

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Imperial Palace illuminated

TOKYO, Japan - The Imperial Household Agency conducts a rehearsal on Dec. 21, 2012 for illuminating the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, ahead of illuminating the palace between Dec. 23, the birthday of Emperor Akihito, and Jan. 6, 2013.

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Antinuclear rally in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - A large antinuclear rally is held in the Nagatacho district of Tokyo, where the prime minister's office and the Diet building are located, on Dec. 21, 2012, the first since the Dec. 16 general election in which the Democratic Party of Japan suffered a crushing defeat, allowing the Liberal Democratic Party to regain power. The LDP has said it plans to make a comprehensive decision on restarts for all nuclear reactors in the country within three years, in sharp contrast to the DPJ, which pledged to phase out nuclear energy by the 2030s.

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Tokyo Station illuminated

TOKYO, Japan - The red-brick building of Tokyo Station is illuminated with computer graphics on Dec. 21, 2012, in an illumination and music event that began the same day and will run until Dec. 28.

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Tokyo Station illuminated

TOKYO, Japan - The red-brick building of Tokyo Station is illuminated with computer graphics on Dec. 21, 2012, in an illumination and music event that began the same day and will run until Dec. 28.

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Abe seeks to relocate U.S. base within Okinawa

YAMAGUCHI, Japan - Japan's incoming prime minister, Shinzo Abe, holds a press conference at the Yamaguchi prefectural government offices on Dec. 21, 2012. Abe, who heads the Liberal Democratic Party, said he will try to gain local support for a plan to relocate a key U.S. base within Okinawa Prefecture, upholding Tokyo's accord with Washington over the base transfer.

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Antinuclear rally in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - A large antinuclear rally is held in the Nagatacho district of Tokyo, where the prime minister's office and the Diet building are located, on Dec. 21, 2012, the first since the Dec. 16 general election in which the Democratic Party of Japan suffered a crushing defeat, allowing the Liberal Democratic Party to regain power. The LDP has said it plans to make a comprehensive decision on restarts for all nuclear reactors in the country within three years, in sharp contrast to the DPJ, which pledged to phase out nuclear energy by the 2030s.

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Moving inside Diet building

TOKYO, Japan - Moving company workers on Dec. 21, 2012 carry a board bearing the Democratic Party of Japan's logo and slogan, which has been used by the party as a backdrop when its officials held press conferences, inside the Diet building in Tokyo, where political parties began relocating lounges for their lawmakers following the Dec. 16 general election. Customarily, each party gets space for a lounge whose size is in proportion to the number of its parliamentary seats. The DPJ, which saw its number of seats plunge to 57 from 230 in the 480-seat House of Representatives, is giving up a wide space on the front side of the second floor of the building to the Liberal Democratic Party, which increased its seats to 294 from 119.

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M'bishi Electric overcharged Defense Ministry

TOKYO, Japan - Mitsubishi Electric Corp. President Kenichiro Yamanishi (C) and other company officials bow in apology at a press conference in Tokyo on Dec. 21, 2012. Mitsubishi Electric, one of Japan's leading defense contractors, said the firm and three subsidiaries overcharged the Defense Ministry and others by around 37.4 billion yen on defense-related contracts.

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Abe aims to boost Japan economy with tax reforms

TOKYO, Japan - Shinzo Abe (standing), head of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a meeting of the party's tax panel at the LDP's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 21, 2012. Abe, who is set to become Japan's next prime minister, said he will speed up tax reforms to boost the economy, highlighting his aim of fully using fiscal measures to beat chronic deflation in the country.

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Japan orders end to peacekeeping mission in Golan Heights

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto (C) attends a meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Dec. 21, 2012. The Japanese government ordered the same day the withdrawal of the Self-Defense Forces from the U.N. peacekeeping operation in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights due to worsening security conditions, Morimoto said.

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Japan keeps economic assessment

TOKYO, Japan - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa (far R), Japanese economic and fiscal policy minister Seiji Maehara (C) and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (far L, front) attend a meeting of Cabinet ministers concerned on the government's monthly economic report at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 21, 2012. The government maintained its basic assessment of the Japanese economy, saying it is weakening amid the global economic downturn, but also noted signs of bottoming out in some key indicators such as production and consumption.

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Maya ruins in Guatemala

TIKAL, Guatemala - Photo shows Maya ruins in Tikal, Guatemala, on Dec. 10, 2012. The Maya civilization has attracted attention as some believe the Maya Long Count Calendar indicates the world will end on Dec. 21, 2012.

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S. Korea presidential election

SEOUL, South Korea - Photo taken in Seoul on Nov. 21, 2012, shows South Korean presidential candidates Moon Jae In (L) from the main opposition Democratic United Party and independent Ahn Cheol Soo, a former university professor and software mogul, ahead of their televised debate for the Dec. 19 election.

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Ex-PM Hatoyama announces retirement from politics

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in September 2009 shows Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (C, front) and members of his Cabinet posing for photos following their first meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo. Hatoyama, who was the first prime minister following the Democratic Party of Japan's ascent to power in 2009, said on Nov. 21, 2012, that he will not run in the Dec. 16 general election for the House of Representatives and will retire from politics.

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Ex-PM Hatoyama announces retirement from politics

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in July 1986 shows Yukio Hatoyama (C, front) celebrating with his wife Miyuki (to the right) and supporters at his campaign office in Muroran, Hokkaido, after winning a House of Representatives seat for the first time. Hatoyama, who was the first prime minister following the Democratic Party of Japan's ascent to power in 2009, said on Nov. 21, 2012, that he will not run in the Dec. 16 general election for the House of Representatives and will retire from politics.

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Ex-PM Hatoyama announces retirement from politics

TOMAKOMAI, Japan - Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan holds a press conference in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, on Nov. 21, 2012. Hatoyama, who was the first prime minister following the DPJ's ascent to power in 2009, said at the press conference he will not run in the Dec. 16 general election for the House of Representatives and will retire from politics.

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Ex-PM Hatoyama announces retirement from politics

TOMAKOMAI, Japan - Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan joins his palms before supporters in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, on Nov. 21, 2012. Hatoyama, who was the first prime minister following the DPJ's ascent to power in 2009, said the same day he will not run in the Dec. 16 general election for the House of Representatives and will retire from politics.

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Ex-PM Hatoyama announces retirement from politics

TOMAKOMAI, Japan - Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (back) of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan bows to supporters in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, on Nov. 21, 2012. Hatoyama, who was the first prime minister following the DPJ's ascent to power in 2009, said the same day he will not run in the Dec. 16 general election for the House of Representatives and will retire from politics.

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LDP releases election pledges

TOKYO, Japan - Shinzo Abe, president of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, releases the party's pledges for Dec. 16's general election for the House of Representatives at a press conference at its headquarters in Tokyo on Nov. 21, 2012.

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LDP releases election pledges

TOKYO, Japan - Shinzo Abe, president of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, holds a brochure containing the party's pledges for Dec. 16's general election for the House of Representatives at a press conference at its headquarters in Tokyo on Nov. 21, 2012.

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Inose announces candidacy for Tokyo gubernatorial race

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Vice Gov. Naoki Inose, a prizewinning nonfiction writer, holds a press conference at the metropolitan government hall in Tokyo on Nov. 21, 2012, in which he announced that he will run as an independent in the Japanese capital's gubernatorial election set for Dec. 16.

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Inose announces candidacy for Tokyo gubernatorial race

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Vice Gov. Naoki Inose, a prizewinning nonfiction writer, holds a press conference at the metropolitan government hall in Tokyo on Nov. 21, 2012, in which he announced that he will run as an independent in the Japanese capital's gubernatorial election set for Dec. 16.

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LDP releases election pledges

TOKYO, Japan - Shinzo Abe, president of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, holds a brochure containing the party's pledges for Dec. 16's general election for the House of Representatives at a press conference at its headquarters in Tokyo on Nov. 21, 2012.

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Inose announces candidacy for Tokyo gubernatorial race

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Vice Gov. Naoki Inose, a prizewinning nonfiction writer, holds a press conference at the metropolitan government hall in Tokyo on Nov. 21, 2012, in which he announced that he will run as an independent in the Japanese capital's gubernatorial election set for Dec. 16.

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LDP releases election pledges

TOKYO, Japan - Shinzo Abe, president of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, releases the party's pledges for Dec. 16's general election for the House of Representatives at a press conference at its headquarters in Tokyo on Nov. 21, 2012.

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Supermarket in Pyongyang

The inside of a supermarket in Pyongyang is shown in this photo taken Dec. 21, 2017. In line with Pyongyang's policy of reducing dependence on imports, more than 70 percent of the items are domestically sourced at the supermarket, which opened as a joint venture with China in 2012 but now is operated by just North Korea following Beijing's withdrawal at the end of 2016. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Supermarket in Pyongyang

The inside of a supermarket in Pyongyang is shown in this photo taken Dec. 21, 2017. In line with Pyongyang's policy of reducing dependence on imports, more than 70 percent of the items are domestically sourced at the supermarket, which opened as a joint venture with China in 2012 but now is operated by just North Korea following Beijing's withdrawal at the end of 2016. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Supermarket in Pyongyang

The inside of a supermarket in Pyongyang is shown in this photo taken Dec. 21, 2017. In line with Pyongyang's policy of reducing dependence on imports, more than 70 percent of the items are domestically sourced at the supermarket, which opened as a joint venture with China in 2012 but now is operated by just North Korea following Beijing's withdrawal at the end of 2016. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Supermarket in Pyongyang

The inside of a supermarket in Pyongyang is shown in this photo taken Dec. 21, 2017. In line with Pyongyang's policy of reducing dependence on imports, more than 70 percent of the items are domestically sourced at the supermarket, which opened as a joint venture with China in 2012 but now is operated by just North Korea following Beijing's withdrawal at the end of 2016. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Supermarket in Pyongyang

The inside of a supermarket in Pyongyang is shown in this photo taken Dec. 21, 2017. In line with Pyongyang's policy of reducing dependence on imports, more than 70 percent of the items are domestically sourced at the supermarket, which opened as a joint venture with China in 2012 but now is operated by just North Korea following Beijing's withdrawal at the end of 2016. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo