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Japanese figure skater Machida announces his retirement

NAGANO, Japan - Sochi Olympian and world silver medalist Tatsuki Machida touches the ice as he leaves the rink after announcing his retirement from competitive figure skating following the Japan national championships at Nagano Big Hat in the central Japanese city of Nagano on Dec. 28, 2014. Machida, 24, who finished fourth in the men's single at the competition, said he will pursue an academic career.

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Japanese figure skater Machida announces his retirement

NAGANO, Japan - Sochi Olympian and world silver medalist Tatsuki Machida announces his retirement from competitive figure skating following the Japan national championships at Nagano Big Hat in the central Japanese city of Nagano on Dec. 28, 2014. Machida, 24, who finished fourth in the men's singles at the competition, said he will pursue an academic career.

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Miyahara wins 1st crown at Japan National Figure Skating

NAGANO, Japan - Satoko Miyahara poses with her trophy won in the Japan National Figure Skating Championships at Nagano Big Hat in the central Japanese city of Nagano on Dec. 28, 2014. The 16-year-old Miyahara took her first national title with a total 195.60 points.

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Miyahara wins 1st crown at Japan National Figure Skating

NAGANO, Japan - Satoko Miyahara acknowledges the crowd after her performance in the women's free program of the Japan National Figure Skating Championships at Nagano Big Hat in the central Japanese city of Nagano on Dec. 28, 2014. The 16-year-old Miyahara won the title for the first time with a total 195.60 points.

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Miyahara wins 1st crown at Japan National Figure Skating

NAGANO, Japan - (From L) Rika Hongo, Satoko Miyahara and Wakaba Higuchi pose with their medals won in the Japan National Figure Skating Championships at Nagano Big Hat in the central Japanese city of Nagano on Dec. 28, 2014. Miyahara won her first national title, while Hongo came in second, followed by Higuchi.

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Miyahara wins 1st crown at Japan National Figure Skating

NAGANO, Japan - Satoko Miyahara performs during the women's free program of the Japan National Figure Skating Championships at Nagano Big Hat in the central Japanese city of Nagano on Dec. 28, 2014. The 16-year-old Miyahara won the title for the first time with a total 195.60 points.

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Hongo 2nd at Japan National Figure Skating

NAGANO, Japan - Rika Hongo performs during the women's free program of the Japan National Figure Skating Championships at Nagano Big Hat in the central Japanese city of Nagano on Dec. 28, 2014. Hongo came in second.

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Miyahara wins 1st crown at Japan National Figure Skating

NAGANO, Japan - Satoko Miyahara performs during the women's free program of the Japan National Figure Skating Championships at Nagano Big Hat in the central Japanese city of Nagano on Dec. 28, 2014. The 16-year-old Miyahara won the title for the first time with a total 195.60 points.

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Miyahara wins 1st crown at Japan National Figure Skating

NAGANO, Japan - Satoko Miyahara performs during the women's free program of the Japan National Figure Skating Championships at Nagano Big Hat in the central Japanese city of Nagano on Dec. 28, 2014. The 16-year-old Miyahara won the title for the first time with a total 195.60 points.

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Miyahara wins 1st crown at Japan National Figure Skating

NAGANO, Japan - Satoko Miyahara performs during the women's free program of the Japan National Figure Skating Championships at Nagano Big Hat in the central Japanese city of Nagano on Dec. 28, 2014. The 16-year-old Miyahara won the title for the first time with a total 195.60 points.

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Over 2 mil. tourists visit Mizuki road in Tottori Pref.

YONAGO, Japan - Tourists and "yokai" (demon) characters created by manga artist Shigeru Mizuki pose for photos at Mizuki Shigeru Road in the city of Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, western Japan, on Dec. 28, 2014, during an event to commemorate the number of the tourists having surpassed the 2 million mark for five straight years. The shopping district features bronze statues of more than 150 yokai characters.

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Japan, China hold 1st gov't meeting since leaders' summit

BEIJING, China - The eighth Japan-China Energy Conservation Forum is held in China's capital Beijing on Dec. 28, 2014. The forum is the first major governmental meeting since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov. 10.

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Japan, China hold 1st gov't meeting since leaders' summit

BEIJING, China - Yosuke Takagi (L), senior vice minister of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission, attend the eighth Japan-China Energy Conservation Forum in China's capital Beijing on Dec. 28, 2014. The forum is the first major governmental meeting since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov. 10.

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Gentildonna wins Arima Kinen race

FUNABASHI, Japan - Jockey Keita Tosaki celebrates Gentildonna's victory at the Arima Kinen end-of-season grand prix at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, on Dec. 28, 2014. It was the final race for the 5-year-old mare.

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Kabuki actor succeeds traditional name Nakamura Ganjiro

OSAKA, Japan - Kabuki actor Nakamura Kanjaku (C) waves to fans in Osaka, western Japan, on Dec. 28, 2014, following his succession to the traditional name Nakamura Ganjiro as he moves on a boat on the Dotombori River toward a theater. His younger brother Nakamura Senjaku (far R) is among his followers.

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Gentildonna ends race career with Arima Kinen victory

FUNABASHI, Japan - Fourth pick Gentildonna (4) ridden by Keita Tosaki scores a crowning victory in the Arima Kinen race, the last race of her career, at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, on Dec. 28, 2014. She became the fifth horse in Japan Racing Association history to win seven G1 titles.

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Indonesia AirAsia plane goes missing en route to Singapore

SINGAPORE, Singapore - Women believed to be relatives of passengers of AirAsia flight QZ8501 weep as they arrive at Singapore's Changi International Airport on Dec. 28, 2014, after the plane belonging to its Indonesian affiliate went missing while heading from Surabaya, capital of Indonesia's East Java province, to Singapore with 162 people aboard.

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Gentildonna wins Arima Kinen horse race

FUNABASHI, Japan - Gentildonna (4), jockeyed by Keita Tosaki, wins the Arima Kinen, Japan's end-of-season grand prix, at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, on Dec. 28, 2014.

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Japan, China hold 1st gov't meeting since leaders' summit

BEIJING, China - Hiroshi Amano, one of the three Japan-born scientists to win this year's Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing efficient blue light-emitting diodes, delivers a speech at the eighth Japan-China Energy Conservation Forum in China's capital Beijing on Dec. 28, 2014. The forum is the first major governmental meeting since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov. 10.

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Old charms burned in ceremony at Buddhist temple

NARITA, Japan - Buddhist priests put old charms on the fire as a token of thanks for worshippers' health and other wishes in the past year in an annual "Otakiage" ceremony at Naritasan Shinshoji Temple on Dec. 28, 2014.

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Institute concludes Obokata failed to replicate "STAP cell" creation

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken Jan. 28, 2014, shows Haruko Obokata, a researcher with the Riken institute, at her laboratory in the institute in Kobe, western Japan. On Dec. 19, 2014, Riken concluded that Obokata failed in experiments to produce stem cells that she previously claimed to have created.

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Campaigning for Dec. 14 general election begins

NASUSHIOBARA, Japan - Yoshimi Watanabe, former leader of the opposition Your Party, which disbanded on Nov. 28, 2014, makes a speech in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, on Dec. 2, the first day of official campaigning for the Dec. 14 lower house election.

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Santa Claus arrives in Japan

NARITA, Japan - Santa Claus gives some sweets to a baby on Nov. 28, 2014, at Narita airport, east of Tokyo, after arriving from Finland. During his stay in Japan until Dec. 24, which is planned as part of a promotion for Finnish airline Finnair, Santa will visit nursery schools and attend Christmas events in various parts of the nation.

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Santa Claus arrives in Japan

NARITA, Japan - Santa Claus from Finland waves from inside a Finnair plane on Nov. 28, 2014, after arriving at Narita airport, east of Tokyo. During his stay in Japan until Dec. 24, which is planned as part of a promotion for the Finnish airline, Santa will visit nursery schools and attend Christmas events in various parts of the nation.

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Santa Claus arrives in Japan

NARITA, Japan - Santa Claus speaks to reporters on Nov. 28, 2014, upon his arrival at Narita airport, east of Tokyo, from Finland aboard a Finnair plane. During his stay in Japan until Dec. 24, which is planned as part of a promotion for the Finnish airline, Santa will visit nursery schools and attend Christmas events in various parts of the nation.

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Robbery-murder scene in Ecuador

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador - Photo taken Jan. 4, 2014, shows the scene where a Japanese couple were shot by robbers while on honeymoon in Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador, on Dec. 28, 2013. The 28-year-old husband died and 27-year-old wife suffered serious injuries.

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Robbery-murder scene in Ecuador

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador - An 18-year-old Ecuadorian boy points on Jan. 4, 2014, to the spot where a Japanese couple were shot by robbers while on honeymoon in Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador. In the Dec. 28, 2013, incident witnessed by the boy, the 28-year-old husband died and 27-year-old wife suffered serious injuries.

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Robbery-murder scene in Ecuador

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador - Photo taken Jan. 4, 2014, shows the scene where a Japanese couple were shot by robbers while on honeymoon in Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador, on Dec. 28, 2013. The 28-year-old husband died and 27-year-old wife suffered serious injuries.