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

Kyoto University professor Nakabo

KYOTO, Japan - Tetsuji Nakabo, professor of Kyoto University and an ichthyologist, holds a Kunimasu, an endangered deepwater salmon species. His research team identified nine fish caught in March and April of 2010 at Lake Saiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, as Kunimasu descended from eggs transported many decades ago from Lake Tazawa in northern Japan, where the species is now extinct. The photo was taken on Dec. 15, 2010.

E

Isahaya Bay dike in Nagasaki Pref.

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken on Dec. 15, 2010, shows Isahaya Bay in Nagasaki Prefecture divided by a long dike. The central government has decided to open two of the dike's drainage gates following a Fukuoka High Court order on Dec. 6 in favor of fishermen who claimed that the state project has caused damage to the local environment and their industry.

E

Zoos using smartphones to attract visitors

KOCHI, Japan - An iPhone application displays information about animals in front of a spotted hyena at Noichi Zoological Park of Kochi Prefecture in Konan on Dec. 15, 2010.

E

Sunset in Antarctic Sea

TOKYO, Japan - Combination photo shows the sun going down in the Antarctic Sea on Dec. 15, 2010. (Pool photo)

E

U.S. soldiers renew entanglements at Camp Schwab

NAHA, Japan - U.S. soldiers replace a section of old entanglements running along the border of the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Schwab on a beach in the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture on Dec. 15, 2010. The site is where the Japanese government plans to relocate the Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station. The removed fence seen on the left had ribbons and banners put up by residents in protest against hosting the base.

E

Nishioka to sign deal with Twins

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken Nov. 18, 2010, shows Japanese professional baseball player Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Baseball sources said Dec. 15, 2010, Nishioka was expected to sign a deal with the Minnesota Twins after his Japanese club Lotte Marines approved his move to the major leagues.

E

Kan decides to open Isahaya Bay gates, not to appeal court decision

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at his office on Dec. 15, 2010 that he has decided not to appeal a high court ruling ordering the government to open the two floodgates of the Isahaya Bay dike in Nagasaki Prefecture for five years, turning around a farm ministry plan to water it down while filing an appeal.

E

Tibetans protest Chinese premier's India visit

NEW DELHI, India - Tibetan refugees stage a protest demonstration in New Delhi on Dec. 15, 2010 against Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit there.

E

Slide show of paintings as interior decoration

TOKYO, Japan - A presenter stands by a liquid crystal display showing a painting by Paul Gauguin on Dec. 15, 2010 in Tokyo. Samsung Electronics Co. and Japan's Olympus Business Creation Corp. said they will launch on Dec. 24 a slide show service displaying paintings with background music on LCD, aiming for use by hotels and other facilities as an interior decoration in place of real paintings.

E

Tibetans protest Chinese premier's India visit

NEW DELHI, India - Tibetan refugees stage a protest demonstration in New Delhi on Dec. 15, 2010 against Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit there.

E

Year's first snow falls in Shanghai

SHANGHAI, China - People on bicycles brave the year's first snowfall in Shanghai, China, on Dec. 15, 2010.

E

Tokyo Gov. Ishihara comments on ordinance

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara answers questions from reporters in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2010, after the Tokyo metropolitan assembly enacted an ordinance to toughen regulations on the sale of ''manga'' comic books and anime containing ''extreme'' depictions of sexual acts. Ishihara said the ordinance is based on Japanese commonsense. Writers and publishers protested, saying the move would breach freedom of expression and stifle creativity.

E

Fukushima named Japan's athlete of the year

TOKYO, Japan - Double Asian Games champion Chisato Fukushima holds a trophy after being named athlete of the year by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations at a hotel in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2010.

E

Referendum attempt for Nagoya assembly succeeds in reversal

NAGOYA, Japan - Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura appears relaxed during a news conference at the Nagoya city hall on Dec. 15, 2010 after an attempt by his supporters to initiate a recall referendum for the city assembly succeeded by reversing the previous decision that the group did not collect the required number of valid signatures from eligible voters for the referendum petition.

E

Former sekiwake Tosanoumi retires

TOKYO, Japan - Former sekiwake Tosanoumi, who has announced his retirement from sumo, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2010. The 38-year-old Tosanoumi had a 4-11 record at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in November as the No. 8 juryo. Tosanoumi will adopt the new name of Tatekawa to become a coach at the Isenoumi stable.

E

Monkeys get hot springs treat

HAKODATE, Japan - Japanese monkeys warm themselves in a hot spring at Hakodate City Tropical Garden in the northernmost Japanese main island of Hokkaido on Dec. 15, 2010. About 100 monkeys at the park soaked in the pool. The facility will keep the hot spring for the monkeys through May 2011 for viewing by visitors.

E

Otsuka Holdings debuts on Tokyo bourse

TOKYO, Japan - Tatsuo Higuchi, president of drugmaker Otsuka Holdings Co., speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2010 after the company made its debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's First Section.

E

New Audi A8 luxury sedan

TOKYO, Japan - Audi Japan K.K. President Hiroshi Okita unveils a new model of the Audi A8 luxury sedan on Dec. 15, 2010, in Tokyo. The model has a fuel efficiency of 8.3 kilometers per liter, up about 26 percent from its previous model.

E

Tokyo Gov. Ishihara comments on ordinance

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara (C) answers questions from reporters in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2010, after the Tokyo metropolitan assembly enacted an ordinance to toughen regulations on the sale of ''manga'' comic books and anime containing ''extreme'' depictions of sexual acts. Ishihara said the ordinance is based on Japanese commonsense. Writers and publishers protested, saying the move would breach freedom of expression and stifle creativity.

E

Referendum attempt for Nagoya assembly succeeds in reversal

NAGOYA, Japan - Three pictures taken Dec. 15, 2010 show Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura at a news conference at the Nagoya city hall after an attempt by his supporters to initiate a recall referendum for the city assembly succeeded by reversing the previous decision that the group did not collect the required number of valid signatures from eligible voters for the referendum petition.

E

Monkeys get hot springs treat

HAKODATE, Japan - Japanese monkeys warm themselves in a hot spring at Hakodate City Tropical Garden in the northernmost Japanese main island of Hokkaido on Dec. 15, 2010. About 100 monkeys at the park soaked in the pool. The facility will keep the hot spring for the monkeys through May 2011 for viewing by visitors.

E

Former sekiwake Tosanoumi retires

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows former sekiwake Tosanoumi, who announced his retirement from sumo on Dec. 15, 2010. The 38-year-old Tosanoumi had a 4-11 record at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in November as the No. 8 juryo. Tosanoumi will adopt the new name of Tatekawa to become a coach at the Isenoumi stable.

E

DPJ preparing for Ozawa's Diet testimony

TOKYO, Japan - Ichiro Ozawa (R), a power broker in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, leaves a hotel in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2010. DPJ sources said the same day that party executives are preparing to have Ozawa testify at a parliamentary ethics panel concerning allegations of financial misconduct involving his political body.

E

Referendum attempt for Nagoya assembly succeeds in reversal

NAGOYA, Japan - Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura gestures during a news conference at the Nagoya city hall on Dec. 15, 2010 after an attempt by his supporters to initiate a recall referendum for the city assembly succeeded by reversing the previous decision that the group did not collect the required number of valid signatures from eligible voters for the referendum petition.

E

Santa humanoids scale Osaka building wall

OSAKA, Japan - Three Dream Robo humanoids dressed in Santa Claus outfits climb up and down ladders on a building in Osaka on Dec. 15, 2010. The trio gained popularity with a wall-climbing ''performance'' at the Japanese Industry Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai.

E

Nobel laureate Negishi returns to Japan

NARITA, Japan - Nobel Prize winner in chemistry Eiichi Negishi (L) shows his prize medal during a news conference at a hotel in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, on Dec. 15, 2010, after arriving at Narita airport following the Nobel award ceremony in Stockholm. At right is his wife Sumire.

E

Salmon species 'kunimasu' rediscovered

KYOTO, Japan - Kyoto University professor Tetsuji Nakabo holds a kunimasu, an indigenous freshwater salmon species thought to have become extinct more than 70 years ago, in Kyoto on Dec. 15, 2010. The fish, which was previously only seen in Lake Tazawa in Akita Prefecture, was discovered in Lake Saiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, as the eggs of the fish were taken to Lake Saiko before the species was believed to have become extinct.

E

Nobel laureate Negishi returns to Japan

NARITA, Japan - Nobel Prize winner in chemistry Eiichi Negishi (R), accompanied by his wife Sumire, arrives at Narita airport, east of Tokyo, on Dec. 15, 2010, after attending the Nobel award ceremony in Stockholm.

E

Actor Mizushima's novel hits bookstores

TOKYO, Japan - People purchase the award-winning novel ''Kagerou'' authored by actor Hiro Mizushima under his real name Tomohiro Saito at a bookstore in Tokyo's Yurakucho district on Dec. 15, 2010. Mizushima's debut novel won Poplar Publishing Co.'s grand prize for fiction.

E

Isahaya Bay dike to be opened

ISAHAYA, Japan - Photo shows part of Isahaya Bay in Nagasaki Prefecture divided by a long dike (R) on Dec. 15, 2010. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the same day that the government has decided to open two of the dike's drainage gates following a Fukuoka High Court order.

E

ASDF chief calls for compliance after bid-rigging

TOKYO, Japan - Gen. Kenichiro Hokazono, chief of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, instructs personnel on legal compliance at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2010, after the ministry found that ASDF officers had been involved in bid-rigging for office equipment contracts.

E

ASDF chief calls for compliance after bid-rigging

TOKYO, Japan - Gen. Kenichiro Hokazono, chief of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, instructs personnel on legal compliance at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2010, after the ministry found that ASDF officers had been involved in bid-rigging for office equipment contracts.

E

Isahaya Bay dike to be opened

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan speaks to reporters at his office in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2010. Kan announced that the government has decided not to appeal against a Fukuoka High Court order to open two drainage gates of the Isahaya Bay dike in Nagasaki Prefecture.

E

Geminid meteor shower over Mt. Fuji

FUJINOMIYA, Japan - The Geminid meteor shower is observed over Mt. Fuji from the Asagiri highland in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, in the early morning of Dec. 15, 2010. The photo was taken in a three-minute exposure.

E

Ozawa's ex-aide Ishikawa arrested over funds scandal

TOKYO, Japan - Tomohiro Ishikawa, a Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker and one-time secretary to DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, speaks to reporters in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on Dec. 28, 2009. Prosecutors arrested Ishikawa on Jan. 15, 2010, in connection with a political funds scandal involving Ozawa's fund management body.

E

Wakui holds off from re-signing with Seibu Lions

TOKOROZAWA, Japan - Seibu Lions right-hander Hideaki Wakui speaks at a news conference at Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Dec. 15, 2009, after turning down the Pacific League baseball club's offer of an 80 million yen pay raise that would bring his earnings to 200 million yen in 2010.