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Singer to hold 20th concert for recovery from Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Japanese singer-songwriter Eri Hiramatsu speaks on Dec. 4, 2014, about her 20th concert to be held in Kobe, her hometown, in support of the western Japan city's reconstruction from the devastation of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake on Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the disaster.

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Optical lens for world's biggest telescope

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Glass craftsman Hiroyuki Minamikawa stands with an optical lens featuring zero thermal expansion in Sagamihara, southwest of Tokyo, on Dec. 17, 2014. The lens will be one of 492 pieces constituting the main mirror for the world's biggest telescope called "Thirty Meter Telescope" or TMT set for completion in 2022 on Hawaii Island.

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Lacquer medal case, pin badges eyed for 2020 Olympics

KANAZAWA, Japan - The city government of Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, and the local "Wajima-nuri" lacquerware industry have jointly crafted a medal case and pin badges, as seen in this file photo taken on Dec. 17, 2014, for possible use as official goods at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

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University venture firm demonstrates feeding robot

YAMAGUCHI, Japan - A robot designed to help physically disabled people eat meals is demonstrated on Dec. 17, 2014, at the Institute of Biomedical and Welfare Engineering, a venture business set up in the Faculty of Engineering of Yamaguchi University in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan.

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Tourist attraction lights up to welcome Year of Sheep

CHIBA, Japan - Colorful illumination adorns a pasture at Mother Farm, a tourist attraction in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Dec. 17, 2014, under the theme "sheep carnival" to welcome the Year of the Sheep in 2015 according to the Chinese zodiac. The illumination event will run through Feb. 1, 2015.

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Players of scandal-hit Zaragoza pose with supporter

ZARAGOZA, Spain - Players of Spanish First Division football club Real Zaragoza pose with a supporter (C) at an autographing session in Zaragoza on Dec. 17, 2014, amid a match-fixing scandal. Javier Aguirre, coach of Japan's national team, is one of several dozen individuals named in a prosecution complaint on the alleged game rigging in May 2011 as he was manager of Zaragoza when it won the match against Levante and avoided relegation to the Second Division.

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Israeli PM Netanyahu slams EU resolution as 'hypocrisy'

JERUSALEM, Israel - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashes out at the European Parliament's adoption of a resolution supporting statehood for Palestine as "European hypocrisy" at a press conference in Jerusalem on Dec. 17, 2014.

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Top Japan SDF officer visits U.S. cemetery for tribute

WASHINGTON, United States - Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano (C), chief of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces' Joint Staff, visits the Arlington National Cemetery near Washington to pay floral tribute on Dec. 17, 2014.

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Palau President Tommy Remengesau in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) and Palau President Tommy Remengesau hold a joint press conference following their talks at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014.

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U.N. chief urges N. Korea to listen to calls on human rights

NEW YORK, United States - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon attends a press conference at U.N. headquarters in New York, the United States, on Dec. 17, 2014. Ban urged North Korea to respond to international calls for the protection of human rights ahead of an expected meeting of the Security Council to discuss the country's human rights situation the following week.

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25th anniv. of Romanian Revolution

TIMISOARA, Romania - A man places a candle on Dec. 17, 2014, in front of a cenotaph to pray for people killed in the Romanian Revolution 25 years ago in Timisoara, Romania. More than 90 people died in the overthrow of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

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25th anniv. of Romanian Revolution

TIMISOARA, Romania - Local citizens pray for peace and freedom on Dec. 17, 2014, at the cenotaph for people killed in the Romanian Revolution 25 years ago, in Timisoara, Romania. More than 90 people died in the overthrow of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

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Hasebe, Hosogai tussle in Bendesliga game

FRANKFURT, Germany - Japanese midfielder Makoto Hasebe (L) of Eintracht Frankfurt makes a pass as compatriot midfielder Hajime Hosogai of Hertha BSC tries to block it in the first half of a Bundesliga game in Frankfurt on Dec. 17, 2014. The match ended in a 4-4 draw.

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Schalke's Uchida in action against Paderborn

PADERBORN, Germany - Japanese defender Atsuto Uchida (L) of FC Schalke 04 prepares to pass the ball as midfielder Alban Meha of SC Paderborn 07 tries to block him in the first half of a Bundesliga game in Paderborn on Dec. 17, 2014, en route to a 2-1 victory away.

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Palau President Tommy Remengesau in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R front) holds talks with Palau President Tommy Remengesau (L front) at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014.

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Palau President Tommy Remengesau in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) shakes hands with Palau President Tommy Remengesau ahead of their talks at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014.

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Japan varsity reps visit Yangon to lure students

YANGON, Myanmar - Seminar participants (L) listen to officials from six Japanese national universities brief them on studying in Japan in Myanmar's largest city Yangon on Dec, 17, 2014. One of the schools, Okayama University, is scheduled to establish a stronghold in Yangon in 2015 to facilitate the acceptance of students from Myanmar.

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TEPCO expects 227 bil. yen pretax profit in FY 2014

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Electric Power Co. Chairman Fumio Sudo attends a press conference at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014. TEPCO, which operates the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, said it expects to record a group pretax profit of 227 billion yen for the business year ending March 2015 on the back of deeper cost-cutting, remaining in the black for the second straight year.

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Hitachi aims to expand train business via acquisitions

TOKYO, Japan - Hitachi Ltd. President Toshiaki Higashihara is interviewed in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Dec. 17, 2014. Higashihara said that the Japanese electric machinery maker aims to strengthen its railway-related business through overseas acquisitions.

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S. Korean team has firsthand look at Fukushima nuke plant

OKUMA, Japan - Members of a South Korean investigation team visit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Dec. 17, 2014, in search of clues as to whether to lift or ease Seoul's import ban on seafood products from the northeastern Japan region imposed after the 2011 disaster that crippled the plant.

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S. Korean team visits Fukushima nuclear power plant

OKUMA, Japan - Members of a South Korean investigation team visit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Dec. 17, 2014, in search of clues as to whether to lift or ease Seoul's import ban on seafood products from the northeastern Japan region imposed after the 2011 disaster that crippled the plant.

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S. Korean team inspects Fukushima nuclear power plant

OKUMA, Japan - Members of a South Korean investigation team inspect the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Dec. 17, 2014, in search of clues as to whether to lift or ease Seoul's import ban on seafood products from the northeastern Japan region imposed after the 2011 disaster that crippled the plant. Radioactive water tanks are seen behind.

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Train with pictures of Tokyo Station's 100 years to run

TOKYO, Japan - A JR Yamanote Line train, displaying pictures of the 100-year history of Tokyo Station instead of advertisements, is shown to the press in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on Dec. 17, 2014, ahead of its operation on the loop rail line from the following day through New Year's Day. The special train will run to commemorate the station's centennial on Dec. 20.

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Train with pictures of Tokyo Station's 100 years to run

TOKYO, Japan - A JR Yamanote Line train, displaying pictures of the 100-year history of Tokyo Station instead of advertisements, is shown to the press in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on Dec. 17, 2014, ahead of its operation on the loop rail line from the following day through New Year's Day. The special train will run to commemorate the station's centennial on Dec. 20.

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Palau President Tommy Remengesau in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Emperor Akihito (R) and Palau President Tommy Remengesau head for their meeting at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014. (Pool photo)

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Palau President Tommy Remengesau in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Emperor Akihito (R) and Palau President Tommy Remengesau (L) meet at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014. (Pool photo)

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Snowstorm hits Hokkaido

SAPPORO, Japan - A person walks in a snowstorm in Kitami in Hokkaido, northern Japan, on Dec. 17, 2014.

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Calligraphers write names of newly elected lawmakers

TOKYO, Japan - Calligraphers write on plates on Dec. 17, 2014, the names of legislators newly elected to the lower house of the Diet in the Dec. 14 general election at a lacquerware wholesaler in Tokyo ahead of an extraordinary parliamentary session to be convened on Dec. 24.

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Palau President Tommy Remengesau in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Emperor Akihito (R) and Palau President Tommy Remengesau (L) meet at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014. (Pool photo)

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Writing of new lower house members' names in full swing

TOKYO, Japan - Calligraphers are busy writing on plates on Dec. 17, 2014, the names of legislators newly elected to the lower house of the Diet in the Dec. 14 general election at a lacquerware wholesaler in Tokyo ahead of an extraordinary parliamentary session to be convened on Dec. 24.

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JR West promotes train rides for senior travelers

OSAKA, Japan - Actress Ran Ito (R) poses with West Japan Railway Co. President Seiji Manabe in Osaka on Dec. 17, 2014, at a press conference announcing the launch of a campaign to promote train rides for travelers aged 50 and over in 2015 by discounting tickets for Sanyo Shinkansen bullet trains.

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Ex-secretary general Hosono to run in DPJ leadership election

TOKYO, Japan - Goshi Hosono (C), former secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, leaves a general meeting of DPJ Diet members at the party's headquarters in Tokyo's Nagatacho district on Dec. 17, 2014. Hosono said the same day he will run in the largest opposition party's leadership race on Jan. 18 to pick a successor to outgoing DPJ President Banri Kaieda.

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Yoshinoya raises prices of 'gyudon' beef and rice

TOKYO, Japan - A worker at a restaurant of the Yoshinoya "gyudon" beef rice bowl chain in the Yurakucho shopping district in Tokyo replaces price lists on Dec. 17, 2014, to reflect price increases.

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Ex-secretary general Hosono to run in DPJ leadership election

TOKYO, Japan - Goshi Hosono, former secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, announces in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014, his candidacy for the largest opposition party's leadership race on Jan. 18 to pick a successor to outgoing DPJ President Banri Kaieda.

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Transparent specimen of alien fish caught in Lake Biwa

KYOTO, Japan - A Kyoto University researcher holds a chemically processed transparent specimen of a bluegill caught in Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, on Dec. 17, 2014. His team started selling in September specimens of alien fish caught in the lake as accessories by coloring and hardening the fishbone with resin in a campaign to protect the lake's ecosystem.

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Man nabbed for stealing women's underwear

OSAKA, Japan - Police in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, show on Dec. 17, 2014, scores of items of stolen women's underwear found at the home of a suspect's family in Hiroshima Prefecture.

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Matsui unveils charity baseball game for quake-hit kids

TOKYO, Japan - Retired New York Yankee Hideki Matsui announces a plan to hold a charity baseball game next March for children in the disaster-hit Tohoku region, northeastern Japan, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014. Retired captain Derek Jeter of the Major League Baseball club will also participate in the event.

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Matsui unveils charity baseball game for Tohoku kids

TOKYO, Japan - Retired New York Yankee Hideki Matsui holds a T-shirt during a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014, to announce a plan to hold a charity baseball game next March for children in the disaster-hit northeastern Japan region of Tohoku. Retired captain Derek Jeter of the Major League Baseball club will also participate in the event.

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Matsui, others unveil charity baseball game for Tohoku kids

TOKYO, Japan - Former New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui (L) and current Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara (R) pose at a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014, to announce a plan to hold a "Tomodachi Charity Baseball Game" next March for children in the disaster-hit northeastern Japan region of Tohoku. Flanked by Matsui and Hara is Toru Arai, president of confectioner Morinaga & Co. which will cosponsor the event

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Ibaraki Univ. permits access to 10 local newspapers

MITO, Japan - Takashi Otabe (L), president of Ibaraki Shimbun Co., and Nobuo Mimura, president of Ibaraki University, pose in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Dec. 17, 2014, at a ceremony announcing the creation of a section in the university's library to give visitors access to 10 selected local newspapers in Japan.

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Lobster imports peak ahead of Christmas

NARITA, Japan - A Tokyo Customs officer inspects lobsters imported from Canada at Narita airport, east of Tokyo, on Dec. 17, 2014, at the peak of their importation ahead of Christmas.

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Sony develops eyewear-use compact attachable display module

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows a compact single-lens display module developed by Sony Corp. and attached to eyewear, unveiled by the company on Dec. 17, 2014. If a user is playing golf or cycling, for example, sunglasses equipped with the new device connected to a smartphone can provide information such as course maps or distance readings, according to Sony.

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FIBA official meets Japan sports minister on JBA reform

TOKYO, Japan - Patrick Baumann (L), secretary general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), meets with sports minister Hakubun Shimomura at the latter's office in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014, to discuss proposed reform of Japan's basketball community. The two agreed to have sports ministry officials join a task force as observers to help lift a FIBA ban on the Japan Basketball Association's international competitions imposed for the JBA's failure to unify the domestic basketball world split into two leagues.

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JR Tokai starts construction of maglev train stations

TOKYO, Japan - Central Japan Railway Co., known as JR Tokai, conducts a ceremony in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Dec. 17, 2014, to pray for safety during the construction of a magnetically levitated train line linking Tokyo and Nagoya.

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Shiseido to consolidate product brands in streamlining drive

TOKYO, Japan - Shiseido Co. President Masahiko Uotani announces in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014, a plan to consolidate 28 of some 120 product brands as part of efforts to streamline its business operations.

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JR Tokai starts construction of maglev train stations

NAGOYA, Japan - Central Japan Railway Co., known as JR Tokai, conducts a ceremony at JR Nagoya Station on Dec. 17, 2014, to pray for safety during the construction of a magnetically levitated train line linking Tokyo and Nagoya.

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Japan pro golfer Yokomine attends award ceremony

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese professional golfer Sakura Yokomine appears at an award ceremony held by the Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014. Yokomine attended the event as one of the season's tournament winners.

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JR Tokai starts construction of maglev train stations

NAGOYA, Japan - Koei Tsuge, president of Central Japan Railway Co., known as JR Tokai, poses for photos at JR Nagoya Station on Dec. 17, 2014, after a ceremony to pray for safety during the construction of a magnetically levitated train line linking Tokyo and Nagoya.

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JLPGA title winners pose at award ceremony

TOKYO, Japan - Title winners pose at an award ceremony held by the Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014. From L: Ai Suzuki of Japan, Ahn Sung Ju of South Korea, Ayaka Watanabe of Japan and Teresa Lu of Taiwan.

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Univ. to retain ex-reporter despite threat over "comfort women" issue

SAPPORO, Japan - Shinichi Tamura, president of Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo, Hokkaido, in northern Japan, holds a press conference in Sapporo on Dec. 17, 2014. Tamura said the university will renew the contract of a part-time lecturer, a former reporter for The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, for the school year starting in April despite threats to the school over the lecturer's involvement in controversial reporting on the issue of "comfort women."