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Panasonic launches new group structure

OSAKA, Japan - The logo at the Sanyo Electric Co. headquarters in Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, is seen replaced with ''Panasonic'' on Dec. 30, 2011. Japan's major electronics maker Panasonic Corp. launched its new group structure on Jan. 1, 2012, reorganizing its business divisions and two wholly owned units -- Sanyo Electric Co. and Panasonic Electric Works Co. -- into three main groups as it places greater emphasis on energy-related businesses.

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Christmas tree in disaster-hit city

MINAMISANRIKU, Japan - Photo shows a Christmas tree to encourage children in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, hit hard by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, on Dec. 1, 2013, prior to the 1,000th day on Dec. 4 since the disaster.

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Toyota Aqua hybrid compact car

NAGOYA, Japan - Photo shows Toyota Motor Corp.'s Aqua hybrid compact car. The automaker said Feb. 1, 2012, the number of orders placed for the Aqua as of Jan. 31, 2012, was about 120,000, greatly exceeding its sales goal of 12,000 units a month. The car was released on Dec. 26, 2011.

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Hosokawa clan's artifacts

FUKUOKA, Japan - Former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa stands in front of some artifacts from the Eisei-Bunko Museum, which holds treasures of the Hosokawa clan, during a preview on Dec. 26, 2011, of a special exhibition to be held from Jan. 1, 2012, through March 4, 2012, at Kyushu National Museum in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan. Hosokawa is the 18th head of the clan that has lasted some 700 years and ruled the Kumamoto domain in feudal Japan.

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Japan to reclassify Fukushima no-entry zones

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - (from L) Yukio Edano, minister of economy, trade and industry, Goshi Hosono, nuclear disaster minister, and Tatsuo Hirano, minister in charge of reconstruction in areas affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, meet Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato in the city of Fukushima on Dec. 18, 2011. The ministers notified the governor and representatives of 11 other municipal governments near the plant of a plan to reclassify no-entry zones, possibly on April 1, 2012, around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

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Matsunaga, ex-ambassador to U.S., dies at 88

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken in 1996 shows Nobuo Matsunaga who served as the Japanese ambassador to the United States in the 1980s. Matsunaga died of heart failure at a hospital in Tokyo on Dec. 1, 2011, at the age of 88.

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Christmas section at store in Greece

ATHENS, Greece - Not many customers are seen in the Christmas section of a department store in Athens, Greece, on Dec. 1, 2011.

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Fukushima firms advised to put safety labels on products

NEW YORK, United States - Visitors view products from Fukushima Prefecture at the official residence of the Japanese consul-general in New York on Dec. 1, 2011. During a meeting earlier in the day, internationally active Japanese companies advised Fukushima Prefecture firms to put labels on food and other products to show they had passed safety tests to reassure overseas consumers worried by the impact of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

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Fukushima firms advised to put safety labels on products

NEW YORK, United States - A businessman from Fukushima Prefecture speaks on damage caused by the March tsunami during a meeting in New York of Fukushima business leaders and representatives of Japanese companies operating in the United States on Dec. 1, 2011. Internationally active Japanese companies advised Fukushima Prefecture firms to put labels on food and other products to show they had passed safety tests to reassure overseas consumers worried by the impact of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

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Suu Kyi receives 2011 Chatham House Prize

LONDON, Britain - Aung San Suu Kyi (on screen), Myanmar's iconic figure of democracy and peaceful resistance to oppressive rule, speaks in a video message played at the award ceremony for the 2011 Chatham House Prize in London on Dec. 1, 2011. Suu Kyi was selected as the winner of the prize. The annual award presented by the British think tank Royal Institute of International Affairs is given to the statesperson who is regarded to have made significant contribution to the improvement of international relations in the year before.

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Protest in Seoul against new cable TV stations

SEOUL, South Korea - Media union members demonstrate in Seoul against new cable TV stations run by major dailies on Dec. 1, 2011. The South Korean government has eased restrictions on newspaper and broadcasting cross ownership.

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Statue of Okinawa fisherman unveiled in Taiwan

KEELUNG, Taiwan - People associated with Okinawa Prefecture pose in front of a statue of an Okinawa fisherman, called the statue of Ryukyu Uminchu, at a park in Heping Island, Keelung City, Taiwan, on Dec. 1, 2011, during the unveiling ceremony of the statue. During the Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan before World War II, a number of fishermen had emigrated from Okinawa Prefecture and lived there.

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Labor strike in Athens

ATHENS, Greece - Workers march through the streets in Athens on Dec. 1, 2011, as labor unions carried out a 24-hour strike throughout Greece the same day. It was the first national general strike since the government of Prime Minister Lucas Papademos was launched in November.

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Clinton in press conference

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a press conference in Myanmar's administrative capital Naypyitaw on Dec. 1, 2011. Clinton arrived in Myanmar the previous day for a three-day official visit, the first by a U.S. secretary of state to the country in more than 50 years.

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'Yukhye' with new safety standard served in Toyama

TOYAMA, Japan - A woman shows Korean ''yukhye'' raw beef dishes that cleared the stricter new safety standards for raw meat served at a barbecue restaurant in Toyama on Dec. 1, 2011. The restaurant ''Yakiniku Daishogun'' which has three outlets in the city started serving the food the same day.

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Iwate Gov. Tasso experiences life in temporary housing

KAMAISHI, Japan - Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso prepares a meal in a temporary housing unit for people affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, on Dec. 1, 2011. He stayed overnight at the facility to share the experience of life in the temporary housing.

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Clinton in press conference

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a press conference in Myanmar's administrative capital Naypyitaw on Dec. 1, 2011. Clinton arrived in Myanmar the previous day for a three-day official visit, the first by a U.S. secretary of state to the country in more than 50 years.

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DeNA's participation in Japanese baseball approved

TOKYO, Japan - Makoto Haruta (L), chairman of DeNA Co., which operates social gaming platform Mobage, speaks during a press conference at a Tokyo hotel on Dec. 1, 2011, after Japanese baseball owners approved the company's participation in Japanese baseball. DeNA President Isao Moriyasu is seated next to Haruta.

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Kobe 'Luminarie' illuminations

KOBE, Japan - Kobe ''Luminarie'' illumination event begins Dec. 1, 2011, in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, in western Japan. The annual event, which will be held until Dec. 12, commemorates the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake that devastated Kobe and its vicinity. (Photo taken with cross screen filter)

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Kobe 'Luminarie' illuminations

KOBE, Japan - Illuminations surrounding a fountain, an artwork titled ''fountain of prayer'' and created to wish for the reconstruction of tsunami-hit areas in northeastern Japan, are lit in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, in western Japan, on the night of Dec. 1, 2011, as the Kobe ''Luminarie'' illumination event started the same day. The annual event, which will be held until Dec. 12, commemorates the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake that devastated Kobe and its vicinity.

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Japanese touch panel developers awarded French medal of honor

OSAKA, Japan - Keizo Wada (R) and Tadashi Shimizu (L), who jointly founded the Osaka-based touch panel maker Digital Electronics Corp., pose with Henri Lachmann, chairman of the supervisory board of Schneider Electric, in Osaka on Dec. 1, 2011. The French government on the same day bestowed the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor medals to Wada and Shimizu, who developed the industrial touch panel in 1988. Digital Electronics is an arm of France's Schneider Electric.

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Giant Xmas tree in Hakodate

HAKODATE, Japan - A 20-meter Xmas tree, set up on a platform in Hakodate Bay in Hakodate, Hokkaido, northern Japan, is lit with illuminations Dec. 1, 2011. The fir tree is a gift from Halifax, Canada, a sister city of Hakodate.

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Kobe 'Luminarie' illuminations

KOBE, Japan - Kobe ''Luminarie'' illumination event begins Dec. 1, 2011, in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, in western Japan. The annual event, which will be held until Dec. 12, commemorates the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake that devastated Kobe and its vicinity.

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Toyota, BMW agree to tie up

TOKYO, Japan - Officials from Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. and Germany's BMW AG, including Toyota Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada (2nd from L) and Klaus Draeger (3rd from L), a member of the BMW board of management, attend a press conference at a Tokyo hotel on Dec. 1, 2011. The two automakers said they have agreed to collaborate in developing next-generation environmentally friendly technologies.

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Clinton meets Myanmar's president

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) shakes hands with Myanmar President Thein Sein at the presidential office in Myanmar's administrative capital Naypyitaw on Dec. 1, 2011. Clinton arrived in Myanmar the previous day for a three-day official visit, the first by a U.S. secretary of state to the country in more than 50 years.

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Toyota, BMW agree to tie up

TOKYO, Japan - Officials from Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. and Germany's BMW AG, including Toyota Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada (3rd from L) and Klaus Draeger (4th from L), a member of the BMW board of management, line up for group photos after holding a joint press conference at a Tokyo hotel on Dec. 1, 2011. The two automakers said they have agreed to collaborate in developing next-generation environmentally friendly technologies.

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Toyota, BMW agree to tie up

TOKYO, Japan - Takeshi Uchiyamada (L), executive vice president of Toyota Motor Corp., and Klaus Draeger, a member of the board of management of BMW AG, are seen during a press conference at a Tokyo hotel on Dec. 1, 2011. The Japanese and German automakers said they have agreed to collaborate in developing next-generation environmentally friendly technologies.

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Japanese prefectures promote school trips from China

BEIJING, China - Personnel associated with Japanese prefectures and cities promote school trips to Japan to Chinese travel agencies at a hotel in Beijing on Dec. 1, 2011. Since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the number of Chinese school trippers to Japan has significantly dropped.

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Indian retailers hold protest rally

NEW DELHI, India - Retailers hold a rally in New Delhi on Dec. 1, 2011, to protest against the government's move to open the Indian market to significant direct investment by foreign firms. The move could allow multinational retailers to enter India, dealing a blow to small neighborhood shops and stores that make up the bulk of India's retail industry.

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Daihatsu concept car DX at Tokyo Motor Show

TOKYO, Japan - Daihatsu Motor Co.'s concept compact sports car DX is displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show 2011, opened for the media, in Tokyo on Dec. 1, 2011. The auto show publically opens from Dec. 3 to 11 after the opening ceremony on Dec. 2.

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Honda's N Box displayed at Tokyo Motor Show

TOKYO, Japan - Honda Motor Co.'s compact vehicle N Box, one of its most spacious compact cars and which it will start selling on Dec. 16, 2011, is on display on Dec. 1, 2011, at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, opened to the media. The auto show opens to the public from Dec. 3 to 11 after an opening ceremony on Dec. 2.

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Suzuki's Alto Eco displayed at Tokyo Motor Show

TOKYO, Japan - Suzuki Motor Corp.'s compact car Alto Eco, which the automaker will start selling on Dec. 13, 2011, is on display on Dec. 1, 2011, at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, opened to the media. The auto show opens to the public from Dec. 3 to 11 after an opening ceremony on Dec. 2.

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Kyodo's trilingual website for Japan info

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows the trilingual website for accessing the latest information on Japan that Kyodo News launched on Dec. 1, 2011. The website, entitled Japan Portal (http://www.japanportal.jp), allows users outside Japan to access information on topics such as tourist spots and reconstruction from the March earthquake and tsunami in English, Chinese and Korean.

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Princess Aiko turns 10

TOKYO, Japan - Princess Aiko (C) and her parents, Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, arrive at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Dec. 1, 2011, to meet her grandparents -- Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko -- on the occasion of her 10th birthday the same day. (Pool photo)

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S. Korean envoy in Hiroshima visits Nagasaki

NAGASAKI, Japan - Shin Hyong Gun (R), consul general at the Consulate General of South Korea in Hiroshima, and his wife offer flowers on Dec. 1, 2011, at the monument for an atomic blast in Nagasaki peace park in Nagasaki in southwestern Japan. Shin's father Shin Yong Su, who was exposed to an atomic bombing in Hiroshima during World War II in 1945, became the founder and former president of an association of South Korean survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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Quake area expressways become toll-free

SENDAI, Japan - A digital signboard (up) shows an expressway toll of 0 yen at an interchange in Sendai, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 1, 2011. Expressways in northeastern Japan hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami were made toll-free that day to help the region's recovery.

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AirAsia X offers bargain prices

OSAKA, Japan - Azran Osman-Rani (far L), chief executive officer of Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia X, unveils a bargain price of 30,000 yen for premium-class seats on one-way trips between Osaka and Kuala Lumpur during a press conference in Osaka, western Japan, on Dec. 1, 2011. The bargain price compares with normal prices ranging from 50,000 yen to 92,000 yen.

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Smartphone with image stabilization camera

OSAKA, Japan - A model compares two images on smartphones, one taken with an ordinary camera (L) and the other with an optical image stabilization function developed by Sharp Corp. Sharp announced the 12.1-megapixel, 1/3.2-inch CMOS camera module intended for mobile devices on Dec. 1, 2011.

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DeNA's participation in Japanese baseball approved

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese baseball owners hold a meeting at a Tokyo hotel on Dec. 1, 2011, at which they approved the participation of DeNA Co., which operates social gaming platform Mobage, in Japanese baseball.

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Kyodo photo wins award

TOKYO, Japan - This photo, taken by a Kyodo News photographer in July 2011 during the Women's World Cup final game between Japan and the United States in Frankfurt, Germany, was selected as this year's best overseas sports news photo by the Tokyo Press Photographers Association, the association said Dec. 1, 2011.

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Chinese pavilion of Shanghai Expo reopens

SHANGHAI, China - People line up on Dec. 1, 2010, to purchase tickets for the Chinese pavilion that featured at the World Expo in Shanghai. The expo ended in October, but the Chinese pavilion, one of the expo's most popular attractions, has reopened through May 31, 2011.

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China pavilion of Shanghai Expo reopens

SHANGHAI, China - People visit the Chinese pavilion that featured at the World Expo in Shanghai on Dec. 1, 2010. The expo ended in October, but the Chinese pavilion, one of the expo's most popular attractions, has reopened through May 31, 2011.