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'Outsider' supporters help disaster-hit residents rebuild

SENDAI, Japan - A workshop for ''reconstruction supporters'' is held on Dec. 20, 2012, in Sendai to discuss the challenges and problems in helping victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

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BOJ to conclude review on inflation goal in Jan.

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in December 2011 shows the Bank of Japan's head office in Tokyo. The BOJ decided Dec. 20, 2012, to further ease its monetary policy and said it aims to conclude a review of its inflation goal at its next policy meeting in January 2013, as demanded by presumptive Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has proposed setting an inflation target of 2 percent.

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Diplomatic corps make condolence visit to Pyongyang

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Members of diplomatic corps pay a visit to Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang on Dec. 20, 2011, where the body of North Korea's late leader Kim Jong Il lies in state.

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Envoys sign condolence book for Kim Jong Il

NEW YORK, United States - A condolence book for North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is placed at the North Korean permanent mission to the United Nations in New York on Dec. 20, 2011. U.N. Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro and other diplomats have signed the book.

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Thai premier meets Suu Kyi

YANGON, Myanmar - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (R) and Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi meet at the Thai ambassador's residence in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, on Dec. 20, 2011. They discussed recent developments in Myanmar. (Pool photo)

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Film director Morita dies

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in April 2006 shows Japanese film director Yoshimitsu Morita, who died of acute liver failure at a Tokyo hospital on Dec. 20, 2011. He was 61.

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Lady Gaga arrives in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - American pop singer Lady Gaga arrives at Narita airport, near Tokyo, on Dec. 20, 2011.

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Envoys sign condolence book for Kim Jong Il

NEW YORK, United States - U.N. Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro (C) visits the North Korean permanent mission to the United Nations in New York on Dec. 20, 2011. She signed a condolence book for the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

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Envoys sign condolence book for Kim Jong Il

NEW YORK, United States - China's Ambassador to the United Nations Li Baodong answers questions by reporters in front of the North Korean permanent mission to the United Nations in New York on Dec. 20, 2011. He signed a condolence book for the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

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Lady Gaga arrives in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - American pop singer Lady Gaga arrives at Narita airport, near Tokyo, on Dec. 20, 2011.

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Lady Gaga arrives in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - American pop singer Lady Gaga arrives at Narita airport, near Tokyo, on Dec. 20, 2011.

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N. Korean soldier at China border

DANDONG, China - A North Korean soldier, standing near the country's flag being flown at half-mast, is seen from an area in Dandong in Liaoning Province on the China-North Korea border on Dec. 20, 2011, a day after Pyongyang announced the death of the country's leader Kim Jong Il.

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Mourners at N. Korean diplomatic facility in Dandong

DANDONG, China - North Koreans living in Dandong in Liaoning Province, China, visit their country's diplomatic facility in the city on the border with North Korea on Dec. 20, 2011, to mourn the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

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N. Korean soldiers at China border

DANDONG, China - Patrolling North Korean soldiers are seen from an area in Dandong in Liaoning Province on the China-North Korea border on Dec. 20, 2011, a day after Pyongyang announced the death of the country's leader Kim Jong Il.

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Mourners at N. Korean diplomatic facility in Dandong

DANDONG, China - North Koreans living in Dandong in Liaoning Province, China, visit their country's diplomatic facility in the city on the border with North Korea on Dec. 20, 2011, to mourn the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

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Kim Jong Il's body lies in state

PYONGYANG, North Korea - The body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il lies in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang on Dec. 20, 2011.

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Mourners see Kim Jong Il's body

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Mourners cry in front of the body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il lying in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang on Dec. 20, 2011.

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Mourners see Kim Jong Il's body

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Mourners cry after seeing the body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il lying in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang on Dec. 20, 2011.

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Kim Jong Il's body lies in state

PYONGYANG, North Korea - The body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il lies in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang on Dec. 20, 2011.

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Kim Jong Il's body lies in state

PYONGYANG, North Korea - The body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il lies in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang on Dec. 20, 2011.

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Mourners see Kim Jong Il's body

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Mourners cry after seeing the body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il lying in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang on Dec. 20, 2011.

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Renowned Japanese writers at press conference

TOKYO, Japan - (From L to R) Award-winning Japanese novelists Jiro Asada, Arimasa Osawa, Mariko Hayashi and Keigo Higashino attend a press conference in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2011. A group of renowned writers and cartoonists, including the four novelists, filed a suit with the Tokyo District Court the same day seeking a court order to stop digital book scanning services, alleging copyright infringement. They argue that such book scanning services could lead to the mass proliferation of pirated works on the Internet and hinder the formation of a digital book market.

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Japanese Defense Minister Ichikawa

TOKYO, Japan - Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa holds a press conference at the ministry in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2011.

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Bridge at Russia-N. Korea border

KHASAN, Russia - Photo taken Dec. 20, 2011, shows an area in Khasan in the Russian Far East near a railroad bridge connecting Russia (front) and North Korea (back) over the frozen Tumen River.

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Japanese actor Taro Yamamoto

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese actor Taro Yamamoto holds a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2011. The 37-year-old actor, who has been calling for the elimination of nuclear power generation in Japan, lamented that the movement against nuclear power in the country, while showing some momentum in the wake of the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, is not on a par with similar movements in other countries.

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S. Korean soldiers in border area

PAJU, South Korea - South Korean soldiers are on guard near Imjin River along the military demarcation line with North Korea on Dec. 20, 2011, the day after North Korea announced the death of leader Kim Jong Il.

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Hitachi Pres. Nakanishi in interview

TOKYO, Japan - Hitachi Ltd. President Hiroaki Nakanishi is interviewed at the company's head office in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2011. He said that it is unlikely Hitachi will invest in Olympus Corp. or buy its medical equipment business as Hitachi foresees no synergistic benefits with its own medical business.

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Emperor Akihito, PM Noda at year-end luncheon

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Emperor Akihito (C) and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (L) talk at an annual year-end luncheon hosted by the emperor for government officials at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2011. Farm minister Michihiko Kano is seated to the emperor's right. (Pool photo)

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S. Koreans react to Kim Jong Il's death

SEOUL, South Korea - Demonstrators rally before a government building in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2011, demanding the South Korean government not express condolences over the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

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S. Koreans react to Kim Jong Il's death

SEOUL, South Korea - Demonstrators rally before a government building in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2011, demanding the South Korean government not express condolences over the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

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Tohoku Electric launches mega-solar power plant

AOMORI, Japan - Tohoku Electric Power Co. launches commercial operation of a mega-solar power plant in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, on Dec. 20, 2011. The utility's first commercial solar power plant with a capacity of 1,500 kilowatts can produce about 1.6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually to cover 500 households. It consists of some 10,000 solar cell panels installed on a 50,000-square-meter site.

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Tohoku Electric launches mega-solar power plant

AOMORI, Japan - Tohoku Electric Power Co. launches commercial operation of a mega-solar power plant in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, on Dec. 20, 2011. The utility's first commercial solar power plant with a capacity of 1,500 kilowatts can produce about 1.6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually to cover 500 households. It consists of some 10,000 solar cell panels installed on a 50,000-square-meter site.

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Flower seller at China-N. Korea border

DANDONG, China - North Korean men on their way back to North Korea buy flowers in front of a customs house in Dandong, Liaoning Province, in China on the border with North Korea, on Dec. 20, 2011, a day after Pyongyang announced the death of the country's leader Kim Jong Il. A number of North Koreans in Dandong visited the customs office to go back to their country on the news of Kim's death, prompting a Chinese business operator to sell mourning flowers.

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Japan, Australia restart FTA talks

CANBERRA, Australia - The Japanese delegation attends talks with Australia in Canberra on Dec. 20, 2011, as the two countries resumed negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement, after they were suspended in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit eastern and northeastern Japan.

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Chinese police at China-N. Korea border

DANDONG, China - Chinese police officers stand guard near a bridge connecting China and North Korea in Dandong, Liaoning Province, China, on Dec. 20, 2011, a day after North Korea announced the death of its leader Kim Jong Il.

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Outgoing Miyazaki Gov. Higashikokubaru

MIYAZAKI, Japan - Outgoing Miyazaki Gov. Hideo Higashikokubaru speaks at a press conference in Miyazaki City on Dec. 28, 2010. Higashikokubaru said he has not decided on his future course after the end of his term on Jan. 20, 2011, denying media reports that he is likely to run in a Tokyo gubernatorial election in the spring of 2011.

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RBI king Fighters' Koyano ups salary to 146 mil. yen

SAPPORO, Japan - Nippon Ham Fighters third baseman Eiichi Koyano, the Pacific League RBI title holder, gets into the Christmas spirit at the club's head office in Sapporo on Dec. 20, 2010, after successful negotiations to extend his contract with an annual salary increase of 60 million yen to 146 million yen. Koyano pledged to work hard in the 2011 season ''to mark better numbers in all categories.''

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Carp ace Maeda reels in over 100 million yen plus bonus

HIROSHIMA, Japan - Hiroshima Carp pitcher Kenta Maeda holds a board showing 100 million yen after renewing his contract at Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima on Dec. 20, 2010. Maeda, winner of the Sawamura Award, Japan's equivalent of the majors' Cy Young, in the past season signed an estimated 120 million yen deal for 2011 and a 30 million yen bonus for winning the pitcher's triple crown.