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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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Judo coach resigns over abuse scandal

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows Japanese women's judo coach Ryuji Sonoda (R) taking part in a training session in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2012. Sonoda said Jan. 31, 2013, he will submit his resignation to the All Japan Judo Federation following revelations that 15 top female judo wrestlers sent a joint complaint to the Japan Olympic Committee at the end of 2012, alleging they had been subjected to harassment and physical violence by Sonoda and other coaching staff at a training camp in the buildup to the London Olympics.

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Japanese activist tackling global poverty issues

TOKYO, Japan - Masaki Inaba, executive director of an umbrella alliance of civic groups tackling poverty in developing countries, speaks about his activities during an interview on Dec. 20, 2012 at an office in Tokyo.

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Tablet computers becoming more popular in N. Korea

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Photo taken Dec. 20, 2012, in Pyongyang shows a North Korean tablet computer, named "Samjiyon." A growing number of North Koreans are using tablet computers mainly for study purposes.

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Kansai airport president

OSAKA, Japan - Keiichi Ando, head of New Kansai International Airport Co., speaks during an interview with Kyodo News in Osaka on Dec. 20, 2012.

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U.S. school shooting

NEWTOWN, United States - A woman offers prayers in front of a makeshift memorial near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 20, 2012. On Dec. 14, 26 students and teachers at the school were killed by a gunman.

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U.S. Congress pays tribute to late Sen. Inouye

WASHINGTON, United States - Mourners pay tribute to Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Democrat from Hawaii and World War II veteran, in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, on Dec. 20, 2012. Sen. Inouye, a Japanese-American lawmaker, died at the age of 88 on Dec. 17 after serving 49 years in the post, the second longest service in U.S. history.

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U.S. Congress pays tribute to late Sen. Inouye

WASHINGTON, United States - Photo taken on Dec. 20, 2012, shows a coffin bearing the body of Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Democrat from Hawaii and World War II veteran, in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington. Mourners including Congress members paid tribute to Sen. Inouye, a Japanese-American lawmaker who died at the age of 88 on Dec. 17 after serving 49 years in the post, the second longest service in U.S. history.

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BOJ to conclude review on inflation goal in Jan.

TOKYO, Japan - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa (R) holds a press conference at the BOJ's head office in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2012. The BOJ decided the same day 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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U.S. Congress pays tribute to late Sen. Inouye

WASHINGTON, United States - Photo taken on Dec. 20, 2012, shows the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, where a coffin bearing the body of Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Democrat from Hawaii and World War II veteran, is placed. Mourners including Congress members paid tribute to Sen. Inouye, a Japanese-American lawmaker who died at the age of 88 on Dec. 17 after serving 49 years in the post, the second longest service in U.S. history.

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Faults at Higashidori nuclear plant

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken Dec. 14, 2012, shows a panel of experts conducting a survey on a geologic fault called F-9 (marked with white dots) at Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s Higashidori atomic power plant in Aomori Prefecture. The panel agreed Dec. 20, 2012, that faults under the nuclear plant are likely to be active, rejecting earlier arguments by the utility.

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Faults at Higashidori nuclear plant

TOKYO, Japan - Kunihiko Shimazaki, a commissioner of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, holds a press conference in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2012. A panel of experts led by Shimazaki agreed the same day that geologic faults under Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s Higashidori atomic power plant in Aomori Prefecture are likely to be active, rejecting earlier arguments by the utility.

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BOJ to conclude review on inflation goal in Jan.

TOKYO, Japan - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa ends a press conference at the BOJ's head office in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2012. The BOJ decided the same day 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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Miss Japan 2012 Hara

LAS VEGAS, United States - Ayako Hara, who represented Japan at the Miss Universe 2012 pageant in Las Vegas, is interviewed by Kyodo News in the U.S. city on Dec. 20, 2012. Hara, 24, who is from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, an area devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, failed to make it to the shortlist of 16 competitors in the pageant held the previous day, which was won by American Olivia Culpo, 20.

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S. Korean president-elect Park

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye of the ruling Saenuri Party speaks during a press conference in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2012, the day after winning the South Korean presidential election.

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New uniforms for JAL employees

TOKYO, Japan - Japan Airlines Co. unveils Dec. 20, 2012, at Tokyo's Haneda airport new uniforms for its pilots, cabin attendants and other employees to be introduced during the first half of the fiscal year starting April 2013.

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Japan presumptive PM Abe

TOKYO, Japan - Shinzo Abe, head of the Liberal Democratic Party, who is set to become Japan's next prime minister, attends a party meeting at the LDP's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2012.

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S. Korean president-elect Park

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye of the ruling Saenuri Party speaks during a press conference in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2012, the day after winning the South Korean presidential election.

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New uniforms for JAL employees

TOKYO, Japan - Japan Airlines Co. unveils Dec. 20, 2012, at Tokyo's Haneda airport new uniforms for its pilots, cabin attendants and other employees to be introduced during the first half of the fiscal year starting April 2013.

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Russian President Putin

MOSCOW, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a press conference in Moscow on Dec. 20, 2012.

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Russian President Putin

MOSCOW, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin is projected on a large screen while holding a press conference in Moscow on Dec. 20, 2012.

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BOJ to conclude review on inflation goal in Jan.

TOKYO, Japan - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa holds a press conference at the BOJ's head office in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2012. The BOJ decided the same day 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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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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Steel beam removed from pool at Fukushima plant

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Dec. 20, 2012, shows Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s operation employing a remote-controlled crane to remove a steel beam from a spent nuclear fuel pool in the No. 3 reactor building at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture. The 7-meter steel beam weighing 470 kilograms dropped into the water-filled pool in September when the plant's operator TEPCO used a similar crane to remove debris from the upper portion of the building.

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BOJ to conclude review on inflation goal in Jan.

TOKYO, Japan - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa holds a press conference at the BOJ's head office in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2012. The BOJ decided the same day 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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S. Korean president-elect

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye of the ruling Saenuri Party speaks during a press conference at party headquarters in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2012, the day after winning the South Korean presidential election.

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BOJ to conclude review on inflation goal in Jan.

TOKYO, Japan - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa explains the BOJ's monetary policy using a chart during a press conference at the BOJ's head office in Tokyo on Dec. 20, 2012. The BOJ decided the same day 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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Steel beam removed from pool at Fukushima plant

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Dec. 20, 2012, shows Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s operation employing a remote-controlled crane to remove a steel beam from a spent nuclear fuel pool in the No. 3 reactor building at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture. The 7-meter steel beam weighing 470 kilograms dropped into the water-filled pool in September when the plant's operator TEPCO used a similar crane to remove debris from the upper portion of the building.

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Park visits father's grave

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye (R) of the ruling Saenuri Party observes a moment of silence at a national cemetery in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2012. At the cemetery she visited the grave of her assassinated father, former South Korean President Park Chung Hee, after winning the South Korean presidential election the previous day.

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S. Korean president-elect

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye of the ruling Saenuri Party speaks during a press conference at party headquarters in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2012, the day after winning the South Korean presidential election.

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Park visits father's grave

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye (R front) of the ruling Saenuri Party visits a national cemetery in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2012. At the cemetery she visited the grave of her assassinated father, former South Korean President Park Chung Hee, after winning the South Korean presidential election the previous day.

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S. Korean president-elect

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye of the ruling Saenuri Party speaks during a press conference at party headquarters in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2012, the day after winning the South Korean presidential election.

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S. Korean president-elect

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye of the ruling Saenuri Party speaks during a press conference at party headquarters in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2012, the day after winning the South Korean presidential election.

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Park visits father's grave

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye (R) of the ruling Saenuri Party offers incense at a national cemetery in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2012. At the cemetery she visited the grave of her assassinated father, former South Korean President Park Chung Hee, after winning the South Korean presidential election the previous day.

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Metropolitan expressway marks 50th anniv.

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows Haneda Tunnel in Tokyo's Ota Ward on the Tokyo metropolitan expressway on Dec. 19, 2012. Metropolitan Expressway Co., the operator of the expressway, marked the 50th anniversary on Dec. 20, 2012, of the arterial route's opening.

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Ex-PM Hatoyama may not run in election

TOKYO, Japan - Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan answers reporters' questions at his home in Tokyo on Nov. 20, 2012, after a senior DPJ lawmaker said Hatoyama may not run in the Dec. 16, 2012, House of Representatives election.

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Park elected S. Korea ruling party presidential candidate

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye, a senior lawmaker of South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party and a daughter of former President Park Chung Hee, smiles at a party convention held on the outskirts of Seoul on Aug. 20, 2012, after being chosen as the party's candidate for the Dec. 19 presidential election.

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Park elected S. Korean ruling party presidential candidate

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye, a senior lawmaker of South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party and a daughter of former President Park Chung Hee, delivers a speech at a party convention held on the outskirts of Seoul on Aug. 20, 2012, after being chosen as the party's candidate for the Dec. 19 presidential election.

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Park elected S. Korea ruling party presidential candidate

SEOUL, South Korea - Park Geun Hye, a senior lawmaker of South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party and a daughter of former President Park Chung Hee, smiles at a party convention held on the outskirts of Seoul on Aug. 20, 2012, after being chosen as the party's candidate for the Dec. 19 presidential election.