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Japan pro sumo leader reviews activities in 2014

TOKYO, Japan - Japan Sumo Association head Kitanoumi summarizes last year's activities in the professional sumo world during an interview in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014.

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Pro-democracy demonstration in H.K. on Christmas Eve

HONG KONG, China - A man holds a yellow umbrella, a symbol of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong that ended on Dec. 15, 2014, and a placard which reads, "I want true universal suffrage," in the Mongkok shopping district of the territory on the evening of Dec. 24.

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Western Japan women develop rush-using object

KOCHI, Japan - Members of a group of women seeking to preserve the waning rush industry in Tosa, Kochi Prefecture, western Japan, show an object made from rushes as an interior product by binding the plant with "washi" Japanese paper on Dec. 15, 2014.

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Nara temples to host tea ceremonies in Feb. 2015

NARA, Japan - Representatives of seven major Buddhist temples in Nara, western Japan, attend a press conference on Dec. 18, 2014, at the city office to promote a series of grand tea ceremonies by five schools of the traditional Japanese art at the temples set for Feb. 9-15, 2015.

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JFA braces as Aguirre named in Spanish match-fixing complaint

TOKYO, Japan - Japan men's national soccer team manager Javier Aguirre attends a press conference in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward on Dec. 15, 2014, to announce his 23-man squad for the Asian Cup to be held in Australia in January. Aguirre was named by Spain's anticorruption prosecutor the same day for alleged match fixing in a 2011 game in the country's top-flight soccer league.

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JFA braces as Aguirre named in Spanish match-fixing complaint

TOKYO, Japan - Japan men's national soccer team manager Javier Aguirre poses for photos on Dec. 15, 2014, in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward with team uniforms for the Asian Cup to be held in Australia in January. Aguirre was named by Spain's anticorruption prosecutor the same day for alleged match fixing in a 2011 game in the country's top-flight soccer league.

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Inter's Nagatomo in action against Chievo

VERONA, Italy - Japanese footballer Yuto Nagatomo (R) of Inter Milan plays during the first half of a Serie A match against Chievo in Verona, Italy, on Dec. 15, 2014. Inter won 2-0.

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Nagatomo of Milan struggles for header against Chievo

BELLONA, Italy - Japanese defender Yuto Nagatomo (R) of Inter Milan jumps for a header in the first half of an Italian Serie A game against AC Chievo Verona en route to his team's 2-0 victory away in Bellona on Dec. 15, 2014.

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Man looks at pancake ice on Kushiro River in Hokkaido

KUSHIRO, Japan - A man looks at pancake ice formed on the Kushiro River in Kushiro, Hokkaido, on Dec. 15, 2014. The pieces of ice have raised rims created by collisions with each other.

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Pancake ice formed on Kushiro River in Hokkaido

KUSHIRO, Japan - Pancake ice is formed on the Kushiro River in Kushiro, Hokkaido, on Dec. 15, 2014. The pieces of ice have elevated rims created by colliding with one another.

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S. Korea sends team to Japan to review import ban

TOKYO, Japan - Kazuyoshi Honkawa (R), director general of Japan's Fisheries Agency, speaks at the outset of a meeting with a South Korean expert team at the agency in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014. South Korea is expected to discuss easing of import restrictions imposed on fishery products from eight Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, following the 2011 nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan.

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Night view, 3D image projection on Tokyo Tower start

TOKYO, Japan - An event to enjoy both Tokyo's night landscape and 3D images projected on the large semi-transparent window of Tokyo Tower's 150-meter-high main observatory starts on Dec. 15, 2014, for a run through February 2015.

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Prof. Curtis gives press conference in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Columbia University professor Gerald Curtis speaks at Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, providing his analysis on the ruling coalition's landslide win in the Dec. 14 general election.

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Fujita Kanko to open hotel in Seoul in 2018

TOKYO, Japan - Image of a hotel that Japan's Fujita Kanko Inc. plans to open in Seoul, South Korea, in the summer of 2018 is seen in an undated photo. The company announced the plan on Dec. 15, 2014. It will be the firm's first directly managed hotel in Asia.

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Lawyers file suits to nullify election results

TOKYO, Japan - Lawyers attend a press conference in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, after filing a lawsuit to seek to nullify the results of the Dec. 14 general election in Japan because of the disparity in the weight of votes among districts. Two groups of lawyers filed such suits with eight high courts and six branches across Japan.

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Exhibit in Shanghai of Japan's food firms in Shikoku

SHANGHAI, China - People look around various food items at the official residence of the Consul General of Japan in Shanghai on Dec. 15, 2014, as 36 Japanese firms in Kagawa, Ehime, Tokushima and Kochi prefectures, all on the western Japanese island of Shikoku, exhibited their products in a promotional event.

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USJ, Abeno Harukas named most active in Osaka

OSAKA, Japan - USJ Co. board member Isao Tanaka (2nd from L) and Hidenori Akasaka (far L), senior officer of Kintetsu Corp. that owns skyscraper Abeno Harukas, pose in Osaka, western Japan, on Dec. 15, 2014. The operator of theme park Universal Studios Japan and the owner of Japan's tallest building were given the Grand Prix and a special award, respectively, as this year's most vigorous establishments in Osaka by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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Trace of liquefaction found in ruins in Oita

OITA, Japan - A man points to traces of soil liquefaction (white part) in the city of Oita, Japan, on Dec. 15, 2014, believed to have caused by a big earthquake between the 16th and 18th centuries. The traces were discovered during an excavation of a dwelling site in the remains from the age of provincial wars in the late 15th to 16th centuries.

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Aguirre picks 23-man squad for Asian Cup

TOKYO, Japan - Japan manager Javier Aguirre announces his 23-member squad for the upcoming Asian Cup on Dec. 15, 2014, in Tokyo. "At the Asian Cup I will just be concentrating on the sports and competition side of things," he told a press conference.

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Shiga Pref. commercial complex reopens

OSAKA, Japan - The refurbished Pieri Moriyama commercial complex in Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture, is previewed on Dec. 15, 2014, ahead of its reopening on Dec. 17. Swedish fashion brand H&M is one of the new tenants at the complex.

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S. Korea president's brother summoned over document leakage

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Ji Man (C), the younger brother of South Korean President Park Geun Hye, responds to the press in Seoul on Dec. 15, 2014. He was summoned to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for questioning regarding the leakage of presidential document.

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Shiga Pref. commercial complex reopens

OSAKA, Japan - The outer appearance of the refurbished Pieri Moriyama commercial complex in Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture, is seen on Dec. 15, 2014, ahead of its reopening on Dec. 17.

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DPJ leader Kaieda says to resign over election loss

TOKYO, Japan - Opposition Democratic Party of Japan leader Banri Kaieda makes a bow to reporters at the end of a a press conference at the party headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, a day after he lost his own parliamentary seat in the general election. He said he will step down to take responsibility for the loss.

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Fukushima's Okuma mayor OKs interim storage site

AIZUWAKAMATSU, Japan - Mayor Toshitsuna Watanabe (R) of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, speaks in favor of building an interim nuclear waste storage facility in the northeastern Japan town at the outset of talks with the heads of the town's administrative districts held on Dec. 15, 2014, in Aizuwakamatsu where the town hall is temporarily located.

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Japan should follow "peaceful" path, China says

BEIJING, China - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang attends a press conference in Beijing on Dec. 15, 2014, a day after Japan's ruling coalition marked a landslide victory in a general election. He urged Japan to remain a peaceful country.

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DPJ leader Kaieda says to resign over election loss

TOKYO, Japan - Opposition Democratic Party of Japan leader Banri Kaieda attends a press conference at the party headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, a day after he lost his own parliamentary seat in the general election. He said he will step down to take responsibility for the loss.

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Ruling bloc retains control, DPJ leader Kaieda to resign

TOKYO, Japan - Combination photo shows Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) attending at a press conference in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, following the ruling coalition's landslide victory in the general election the previous day. Opposition Democratic Party of Japan leader Banri Kaieda said the same day he will resign after losing his own seat in the election.

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Japanese nonprofit group donates passenger ship to Palau

KOROR, Palau - Photo taken on Dec. 15, 2014, in the state of Koror, Palau, shows a passenger ship, the Nippon Maru II, which was donated by the Tokyo-based nonprofit organization Nippon Foundation to the Pacific island nation. It will connect Palau's most populous state of Koror and Peleliu Island, one of the fiercest battlefields in the Pacific during World War II.

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Abe to seek re-election as LDP chief after landslide victory

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a press conference at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, following the previous day's general election victory. Abe said he will seek re-election as LDP president in the party leadership race next September.

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Abe to seek re-election as LDP chief after landslide victory

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a press conference at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, following the previous day's general election victory. Abe said he will seek re-election as LDP president in the party leadership race next September.

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Quality dried persimmons for New Year

HASHIMOTO, Japan - Choicest dried persimmons on skewers named "hyakujyu," meaning centenarian, for New Year ornaments are encased in Japanese cypress boxes at Kongobuji, the head temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism, in the Wakayama prefectural town of Koya, western Japan, on Dec. 15, 2014.

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Kids enjoy citrus picking in ex-evacuation zone

HIRONO, Japan - Kindergartners take part in picking "mikan" at an orange grove in the Fukushima prefectural town of Hirono on Dec. 15, 2014. The town near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was once designated as an evacuation zone after the 2011 nuclear disaster in the northeastern Japanese prefecture.

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Kids enjoy citrus picking in ex-evacuation zone

HIRONO, Japan - Kindergartners take part in picking "mikan" at an orange grove in the Fukushima prefectural town of Hirono on Dec. 15, 2014. The town was once designated as an evacuation zone after the 2011 nuclear disaster in the northeastern Japanese prefecture. The orange grove resumed fruit picking in 2013 due to progress in decontamination work.

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Abe, Yamaguchi meet after general election

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) shakes hands with Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, after their ruling coalition retained a two-thirds majority in the lower house. During their meeting, they signed a policy agreement, which includes the promotion of "Abenomics."

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PM Abe attends LDP executive members meeting

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) attends a meeting of executive members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, a day after the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito retained a two-thirds majority in the lower house. His Cabinet members and the LDP executives are expected to remain in their posts.

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Police start removing barricades at last occupation site

HONG KONG, China - Pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong, China, voice their opposition to the planned move by police to remove barricades at the last occupation site in shopping area Causeway Bay, on Dec. 15, 2014.

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Lawyers file suits seeking annulment of general election

HIROSHIMA, Japan - A group of lawyers attends a press conference in the western Japan city of Hiroshima on Dec. 15, 2014, after filing a lawsuit to seek the annulment of the previous day's general election, which was held without correcting the vote-value disparity.

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Lawyers file suits seeking annulment of general election

OKAYAMA, Japan - A group of lawyers heads for the Okayama branch of the Hiroshima High Court in the western Japan city of Okayama on Dec. 15, 2014, to file a lawsuit, seeking the annulment of the previous day's general election, which was held without correcting the vote-value disparity.

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Work underway to demolish lodging facility hit by tsunami

SENDAI, Japan - Work is seen underway on Dec. 15, 2014, to demolish Enoshima Kyosai Kaikan, a lodging facility in the town of Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, overturned by the March 2011 tsunami.

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Organizing panel for 2020 Paralympics, IPC hold joint meet

TOKYO, Japan - Toshiro Muto (2nd R), director general of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, talks with Xavier Gonzalez (R), chief executive officer of the International Paralympic Committee, during a joint session in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, to discuss progress in preparations for the event.

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IPC meets with 2020 Paralympic organizing panel

TOKYO, Japan - Xavier Gonzalez, chief executive officer of the International Paralympic Committee, addresses a joint meeting in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, with the organizing committee for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan's capital. The meeting was held to discuss progress in preparations for the event, the first such meeting between the two organizations.

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JCP's Akamine reiterates opposition to base transfer

NAHA, Japan - Japanese Communist Party's Seiken Akamine meets with reporters at his home in Naha, the capital of the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, on Dec. 15, 2014, a day after winning his seat in the Okinawa No. 1 constituency in the general election. He reiterated his opposition to the planned relocation of a major U.S. base within the island prefecture.

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Suzuki meets with reporters

KUSHIRO, Japan - Takako Suzuki, who ran in the general election on the ticket of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, meets with reporters in the northeastern city of Kushiro on Dec. 15, 2014, a day after securing her lower house seat under the proportional representation system, although she was defeated in the single-seat electoral district.

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Japan Post starts accepting New Year's cards for delivery

TOKYO, Japan - Members of the Nogizaka46 female idol group and comedy duo Lotti pose during a ceremony in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, to launch Japan Post Co.'s acceptance of New Year's greeting cards for delivery.

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DPJ's Tsujimoto retains lower house seat

OSAKA, Japan - Kiyomi Tsujimoto of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan speaks to commuters in front of Takatsuki Station in Takatsuki, Osaka, on Dec. 15, 2014, a day after winning her lower house seat in the Osaka No. 10 single-seat constituency.

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Japan Post starts accepting New Year's cards for delivery

TOKYO, Japan - Erika Ikuta (L) and Mai Shiraishi, members of the Nogizaka46 female idol group, pose during a ceremony in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, to launch Japan Post Co.'s acceptance of New Year's greeting cards for delivery.

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Ruling bloc retains two-thirds majority

OSAKA, Japan - Photo taken on Dec. 15, 2014, shows newspapers at an Osaka newsstand reporting Japan's ruling coalition retained its two-thirds majority in the lower house election the previous day.

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Police start removing barricades at last occupation site

HONG KONG, China - Photo taken on Dec. 15, 2014, shows shopping area Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, China, the last site occupied by pro-democracy demonstrators, at which police started removing barricades.

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Ex-PM Kan speaks to his supporters

TOKYO, Japan - Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan addresses his supporters in Tokyo on Dec. 15, 2014, a day after securing his lower house seat under the proportional representation system, despite having been defeated in the single-seat electoral district.

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DPJ leader Kaieda loses lower house seat

TOKYO, Japan - Reporters throng the election campaign office for Banri Kaieda, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward before dawn on Dec. 15, 2014, after he lost his seat in the House of Representatives election the previous day. The defeat marks the first time since 1949 that the leader of the largest opposition party in Japan has lost his or her seat in the lower house election.