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Court rejects gov't suit over penalties on Isahaya Bay dike

SAGA, Japan - Fishery workers celebrate on Dec. 12, 2014, in front of the Saga District Court in Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, after the court dismissed the central government's demand for an annulment of a court order for it to pay penalties to fishermen until it opens the floodgates of the Isahaya Bay dike in the Ariake Sea.

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H.K. in wake of roadblocks' clearance

HONG KONG, China - Traffic is seen on a main road near the government headquarters in the Admiralty district of Hong Kong on Dec. 12, 2014, the day after pro-democracy protesters who had occupied the area were removed by police. In front is a poster of the campaign left at the site.

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H.K. in wake of roadblocks' clearance

HONG KONG, China - Banners of the Umbrella Movement pro-democracy campaign in Hong Kong are left abandoned after being removed from the wall near the government headquarters in the Admiralty district of the territory on Dec. 12, 2014, the day after the campaigners who had occupied the area were removed by police.

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H.K. in wake of roadblocks' clearance

HONG KONG, China - People head for work in the Admiralty district of Hong Kong on Dec. 12, 2014, the day after pro-democracy protesters who had occupied the area were removed by police.

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Solar-powered plane set for flight around world

GENEVA, Switzerland - Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard (L) and Andre Borschberg of Solar Impulse 2, an airplane powered only by solar energy, speak to Kyodo News in Lausanne on Dec. 12, 2014, during preparations for their round-the-world flight set for March.

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Pure gold Ebisu statuette displayed at Osaka jewelry shop

OSAKA, Japan - A 130-million-yen pure gold statuette of Ebisu, a Japanese deity known as the guardian of commerce, measuring around 40 centimeters in height and 32 centimeters in width, is displayed on Dec. 26, 2014, at jewelry shop Ginza Tanaka in Osaka's Shinsaibashi shopping district, western Japan. The display started the same day and will run until Jan. 12, 2015.

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Pure gold Ebisu statuette displayed at Osaka jewelry shop

OSAKA, Japan - A 130-million-yen pure gold statuette of Ebisu, a Japanese deity known as the guardian of commerce, measuring around 40 centimeters in height and 32 centimeters in width, is displayed on Dec. 26, 2014, at jewelry shop Ginza Tanaka in Osaka's Shinsaibashi shopping district, western Japan. The display started the same day and will run until Jan. 12, 2015.

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Tokyo Tower still popular after ending relay role

TOKYO, Japan - A view of the Japanese capital from the Tokyo Tower's special observatory deck on Dec. 12, 2014, includes Tokyo Skytree (far back) and the Toranomon Hills skyscraper (fore L). The tower, designated as a national cultural property in June 2013, remains a popular sightseeing spot, drawing some 2 million visitors annually to its observatory deck, even after ceding its role as a radiowave transmission tower to Tokyo Skytree in 2012.

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Tokyo Tower still popular after ceding relay role

TOKYO, Japan - The Tokyo Tower is lit up beneath the evening sky in the Japanese capital on Dec. 12, 2014. The tower, designated as a national cultural property in June 2013, remains a popular sightseeing spot, drawing some 2 million visitors annually to its observatory deck, even after ceding its role as a radiowave transmission tower to Tokyo Skytree in 2012.

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KDDI releases shock-resistant smartphone

TOKYO, Japan - KDDI Corp., the operator of the "au" mobile phone service, puts on sale a new shock-resistant smartphone, URBANO, for the LTE high-speed data communication network on Dec. 12, 2014. The new model is made by Kyocera Corp.

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Centenarian woman to sing Choral for last time

KOBE, Japan - Centenarian Chiyoko Fujii (C) practices Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with a choir in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, on Dec. 12, 2014, for her final performance the following day in the western Japan city. Her daughter Kazumi Tsukutani is on the right.

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Okinawan folk duo performs in New York

NEW YORK, United States - With Yukito Ara (R) on sanshin (Okinawa shamisen) and Isamu Shimoji on guitar, Sakishima Meeting, a folk duo from Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, performs during a concert at the Japan Society in New York on Dec. 12, 2014.

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Okinawan folk duo performs in New York

NEW YORK, United States - Isamu Shimoji and Yukito Ara of Sakishima Meeting, a folk duo from Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, play the guitar and "Sanshin" (Okinawa shamisen) during a concert at the Japan Society in New York on Dec. 12, 2014.

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Hanyu comes out on top in GP Final

BARCELONA, Spain - Photo taken on Dec. 12, 2014, in Barcelona, Spain, shows Japan's Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu waiting for his score during the Grand Prix Final. He came out on top in the short program.

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Hanyu comes out on top in GP Final

BARCELONA, Spain - Photo taken on Dec. 12, 2014, in Barcelona, Spain, shows Japan's Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu performing during the Grand Prix Final short program. He came out on top.

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Ex-Bolshoi Ballet soloist Iwata performs solo dance

ULAN-UDE, Russia - Morihiro Iwata, artistic director at the Buryat National Academic Opera and Ballet House in the Russian republic of Buryatia, performs a solo dance in Ulan-Ude on Dec. 12, 2014, during a show to commemorate the establishment of his arts foundation to promote local artistic activities. Iwata was a soloist at the Bolshoi Ballet.

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Empress Michiko attends Queen Fabiola's funeral in Belgium

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Photo taken on Dec. 12, 2014, shows Japanese Empress Michiko, who attended a state funeral in Brussels for Belgian Dowager Queen Fabiola. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko developed a close friendship with the late King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola, and the Japanese imperial couple attended a funeral for the king when he died in 1993.

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Session to discuss S. Korean film on 'comfort women' in Hiroshima

HIROSHIMA, Japan - Makoto Katsumura, director of the Ritsumeikan Center for Korean Studies, speaks during a meeting at Hiroshima University in Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Dec. 12, 2014, to discuss a South Korean documentary film on the issue of wartime "comfort women" with involvement of the Japanese military authorities at that time.

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Kobe announce Nelsinho as new manager

KOBE, Japan - New Vissel Kobe manager Nelsinho meets with reporters in Kobe, Japan, on Dec. 12, 2014. The Brazilian stepped down as Kashiwa Reysol coach at the end of this season, and takes over from Ryo Adachi, who quit after Kobe finished the campaign in 11th place.

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Top court rejects petition to reopen 1986 murder case

FUKUI, Japan - Shoji Maekawa meets with reporters in the central Japan city of Fukui on Dec. 12, 2014, after the Supreme Court turned down his petition for a retrial over the 1986 murder of a junior high school student, for which he served a seven-year prison term. He said he will continue appealing his innocence.

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NRA chief inspects Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Shunichi Tanaka (L), chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, delivers a pep talk in the emergency response room at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, on Dec. 12, 2014, during his visit. (Pool photo)

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Filtered venting system examined at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant

TOKYO, Japan - Nuclear Regulation Authority Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa (C among three in black) inspects a filtered venting system at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture on Dec. 12, 2014. (Pool photo)

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Ex-Bolshoi Ballet soloist Iwata founds arts foundation

ULAN-UDE, Russia - People concerned pose before a show in Ulan-Ude in the Russian republic of Buryatia on Dec. 12, 2014, to commemorate the establishment of an arts foundation by Morihiro Iwata, artistic director at the Buryat National Academic Opera and Ballet House, to promote local artistic activities. Iwata was a soloist at the Bolshoi Ballet.

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NRA chief inspects Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Shunichi Tanaka (R, front), chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, walks by radioactive water tanks during his inspection at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, in Okuma Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, on Dec. 12, 2014. (Pool photo)

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Nobel laureate Akasaki returns home

TOKYO, Japan - Isamu Akasaki, a Meijo University professor who shared this year's Nobel Prize in Physics, shows off the Nobel medal at a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Dec. 12, 2014, after returning from Stockholm, where he attended the award ceremony. He said the Nobel medal is "heavy."

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Filtered venting system examined at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant

TOKYO, Japan - Nuclear Regulation Authority Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa (3rd from R, front row) examines a filtered venting system at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture on Dec. 12, 2014. (Pool photo)

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Japanese winners of French orders of arts and letters toast

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese winners of the orders of arts and letters from France toast in Tokyo on Dec. 12, 2014. From L are author Keichiro Hirano, manga artist Katsuhiro Otomo, Paul-Bertrand Barets of the French government, French literature scholar Akira Mizubayashi and children's book author Kazuo Iwamura.

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Ex-Bolshoi Ballet soloist Iwata founds arts foundation

ULAN-UDE, Russia - Morihiro Iwata (front), artistic director at the Buryat National Academic Opera and Ballet House in the Russian republic of Buryatia, greets guests before a show in Ulan-Ude on Dec. 12, 2014, to commemorate the establishment of his arts foundation to promote local artistic activities. Iwata was a soloist at the Bolshoi Ballet.

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Nobel laureate Akasaki returns home

TOKYO, Japan - Isamu Akasaki, a Meijo University professor who shared this year's Nobel Prize in Physics, attends a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Dec. 12, 2014, after returning from Stockholm, where he attended the award ceremony. He said the Nobel medal is "heavy."

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Brewers serve sake at promotion event at Centrair airport

TOKONAME, Japan - Japanese sake brewers serve sake to visitors during an event to promote sake at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, on Dec. 12, 2014.

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Japan envoy to China presents certificate to essay contest winner

BEIJING, China - Japanese Ambassador to China Masato Kitera (R) presents a certificate to a Chinese university student, winner of a contest for essays written in Japanese by Chinese people studying Japanese, at the Embassy of Japan in Beijing on Dec. 12, 2014.

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Core issue behind H.K. occupation remains unresolved

HONG KONG, China - Tents and belongings of pro-democracy demonstrators still remain in the Admiralty area in Hong Kong, China, home to the government headquarters, on Dec. 12, 2014, a day after police took action to scoop up makeshift roadblocks and occupiers there.

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Manga artist Otomo receives 'officier' order from France

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese manga artist Katsuhiro Otomo (L) shakes hands with Paul-Bertrand Barets of the French government after receiving an "officier" of the Order of Arts and Letters from France on Dec. 12, 2014, in Tokyo.

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Illumination event starts at Kochi Castle

KOCHI, Japan - An 11-meter-tall object, erected around Kochi Castle's keep in the city of Kochi, Japan, lights up the night on Dec. 12, 2014, during a three-day illumination event that started the same day.

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Symposium on use of strollers on public transportation

TOKYO, Japan - Strollers are parked while participants at a symposium discuss ways to make it easier for parents with small children to use strollers on public transportation on Dec. 12, 2014, in Tokyo.

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Sake promotion event at Centrair airport

TOKONAME, Japan - Japanese sake brewers break the lid of a sake barrel during a ceremony at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, on Dec. 12, 2014, to open an event to promote sake.

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Core issue behind H.K. occupation remains unresolved

HONG KONG, China - Photo taken on Dec. 12, 2014, in the Admiralty area in Hong Kong, China, shows a major thoroughfare near the government headquarters reopen to traffic, after police took action to scoop up makeshift roadblocks and occupiers the previous day.

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U.S. shows willingness to talk directly to N. Korea

BEIJING, China - Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, meets with reporters at a hotel in Beijing, China, on Dec. 12, 2014. Kim said that the United States is ready to have direct dialogue with North Korea as part of efforts to resume negotiations toward dismantling its nuclear program.

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Daihatsu releases new Move light motor vehicle

OSAKA, Japan - Daihatsu Motor Co. President Masanori Mitsui stands next to new models of the automaker's Move light motor vehicle on Dec. 12, 2014, in Tokyo.

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'Kanji' meaning tax picked as best characterizing 2014

KYOTO, Japan - Seihan Mori (L), the chief priest of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, writes the "kanji" character "zei" meaning tax on a large sheet of "washi" paper on Dec. 12, 2014, at the announcement by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation of the single best kanji symbolizing the year 2014 in Japan.

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'Kanji' meaning tax picked as best characterizing 2014

KYOTO, Japan - Seihan Mori (L), the chief priest of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, writes the "kanji" character "zei" meaning tax on a large sheet of "washi" paper on Dec. 12, 2014, at the announcement by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation of the single best kanji symbolizing the year 2014 in Japan.

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Taue to seek re-election as Nagasaki mayor

NAGASAKI, Japan - Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, known for his nuclear weapon elimination initiative, announces his candidacy for a third term on Dec. 12, 2014, at the municipal government offices in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The mayoral election is scheduled for April 2015.

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Okinawa may block landfill work for U.S. base transfer

NAHA, Japan - New Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga makes a policy speech at the prefectural assembly in Naha on Dec. 12, 2014. Onaga said the prefectural government will consider scrapping approval to start landfill work needed for a planned U.S. military base transfer within the prefecture.

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Mt. Fuji admission fee set at 1,000 yen

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken Dec. 12, 2013, shows Mt. Fuji, seen from Miho no Matsubara in Shizuoka Prefecture. Local prefectures agreed Dec. 25, 2013, to collect a 1,000 yen admission fee from climbers on Mt. Fuji from the summer of 2014 on a voluntary basis.