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Kurdish troops stand guard against Islamic militants

ARBIL, Iraq - Kurdish Peshmerga security troops stand guard against Islamic State militants near Arbil in northern Iraq on Dec. 6, 2014.

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Ski slope in Sochi opens

SOCHI, Russia - Children prepare to head for a slope in a ski area that will be the venue for the Alpine ski events at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games next February, as it opened for this season's business on Dec. 14, 2013. The area will suspend business on Jan. 6, 2014, about one month before the opening of the Olympics.

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Ski slope in Sochi opens

SOCHI, Russia - People ski on a slope in Sochi in an area that will be the venue for the Alpine ski events at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games next February, as it opened for this season's business on Dec. 14, 2013. The area will suspend business on Jan. 6, 2014, about one month before the opening of the Olympics.

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American shows Nagoya shopping street map

NAGOYA, Japan - American Stephen Carter holds a map for the Osu shopping street in Nagoya, central Japan, in this file photo taken on Dec. 6, 2014. Carter, who serves as a volunteer guide for the street, has been living in the area for nearly 30 years.

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Japan tsunami survivor seeks liaison with Sumatra victims

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Shuya Takahashi, chief of the reconstruction policy section of the Higashimatsushima municipal government in northeastern Japan's Miyagi Prefecture, shares his city's experience in the 2011 tsunami during a ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Indonesia's Banda Aceh on Dec. 6, 2014. Takahashi, who lost his 22-year-old daughter as well as his home in the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, stressed the importance for Japan and Indonesia to share lessons and know-how in mitigating future disasters.

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Lixil makes toilet bowl using 75,000 pieces of crystal glass

OSAKA, Japan - Japanese housing equipment maker Lixil Corp. displays a toilet bowl decorated by some 75,000 pieces of crystal glass, supplied by Swarovski AG of Austria, in Osaka on Dec. 22, 2014. The toilet bowl, which is not for sale, will be exhibited in Lixil's showroom in the Grand Front Osaka commercial complex until Jan. 6, 2015.

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IOC suggests relocation of sledding sports in 2018 Olympics

MONACO, Monaco - Cho Yang Ho, president of the Pyeongchang Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, speaks in an interview in Monaco on Dec. 6, 2014. The International Olympic Committee suggested that South Korea consider moving the sledding sports competitions from the city to an existing facility in another country to cut costs.

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Matsuyama hits shot at Hero World Challenge

WINDERMERE, United States - Hideki Matsuyama of Japan hits his second shot on the first hole of the third round of the Hero World Challenge tournament at Isleworth Golf and Country Club in Windermere in the U.S. state of Florida on Dec. 6, 2014.

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Nobel laureates Amano, Nakamura donate items to Nobel Museum

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Items donated by two Japan-born winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics are seen at the Nobel Museum in Stockholm on Dec. 6, 2014. At front are experimental tools used by Hiroshi Amano, a professor at Nagoya University, while donations by Shuji Nakamura, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, are shown in back.

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TAO performs to mark 60th anniv. of Japan-Myanmar ties

YANGON, Myanmar - Members of the Japanese drum group TAO perform during an exchange event in Yangon, Myanmar, on Dec. 6, 2014, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Myanmar.

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S. Korea, Japan accident victims' families bring flowers

KOBE, Japan - Members of families who lost their loved ones in April's ferry accident in South Korea and in the 2005 derailment on the Fukuchiyama Line of West Japan Railway Co. in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, walk on Dec. 6, 2014, to the floral tribute stand for the train accident.

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Bereaved parents of S. Korean ferry tragedy visit Japan

KOBE, Japan - Parents (L, 2nd L) who lost their child in April's ferry accident in South Korea give a press conference in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, on Dec. 6, 2014, after meeting with a mother who lost her daughter in the 2005 train derailment on the Fukuchiyama Line of West Japan Railway Co., as well as others.

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Myanmar activist lectures at Sophia University

TOKYO, Japan - Min Ko Naing, student leader of the 1988 pro-democracy movement in Burma, stresses the need to amend the Constitution of Myanmar during a lecture meeting at Sophia University in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2014. The military government changed the name of the country to Myanmar in 1989.

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S. Korean paper workers guard against prosecution raid

SEOUL, South Korea - Workers at the South Korean daily Segye Ilbo stand guard against prosecutors' possible raid under a banner reading "We will fight for freedom of the press" at its head office in Seoul on Dec. 6, 2014. The paper reported that President Park Geun Hye's former close aide had meddled in government personnel affairs.

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Japan, Myanmar mark 60th anniv. of diplomatic ties

TOKYO, Japan - Myanmar citizens crowd a street line with Japanese food stalls in Yangon during an exchange event on Dec. 6, 2014, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Southeast Asian nation.

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Newly found letter by artist Yumeji Takehisa displayed

HIROSHIMA, Japan - A letter written by poet and painter Yumeji Takehisa (1884-1934) to Shigeru Kuzuhara, an editor, is displayed at a museum in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, on Dec. 6, 2014. The letter is one of Takehisa's 20 writings newly discovered by Kuzuhara's grandson Makoto at his family home in Tokyo in June.

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Discouraged Urawa manager Petrovic leaves stadium

SAITAMA, Japan - Urawa Reds manager Mihailo Petrovic walks off Saitama Stadium after the J-League club's 1-2 home loss at the hands of Nagoya Grampus on Dec. 6, 2014, in the city of Saitama, Japan.

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Philippines braces for strong typhoon

TACLOBAN, Philippines - Food and other emergency supplies are piled up in a hallway at the Leyte provincial government offices on the Philippine island of Leyte on Dec. 6, 2014, as powerful Typhoon Hagupit approaches the area devastated by a powerful typhoon in November 2013.

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Steam locomotive in Iwate

TONO, Japan - A steam locomotive, pulling a JR Kamaishi Line train, runs on an illuminated bridge in Tono, Iwate Prefecture, on the night of Dec. 6, 2014, recreating the world of "Night on the Galactic Railroad," a fairy story written by Kenji Miyazawa and modeled on the railroad. East Japan Railway Co. has been using the steam locomotive in its services since April to boost tourism in the prefecture devastated by the March 2011 tsunami.

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Steam locomotive in Iwate

TONO, Japan - A steam locomotive, pulling a JR Kamaishi Line train, runs on an illuminated bridge in Tono, Iwate Prefecture, on the night of Dec. 6, 2014, recreating the world of "Night on the Galactic Railroad," a fairy story written by Kenji Miyazawa and modeled on the railroad. East Japan Railway Co. has been using the steam locomotive in its services since April to boost tourism in the prefecture devastated by the March 2011 tsunami.

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Gamba's Endo, Tokushima's Hashiuchi vie for ball

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Yasuhito Endo (front) of Gamba Osaka and Yuya Hashiuchi of Tokushima Vortis vie for the ball in the second half of their J-League game at Pocari Sweat Stadium in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, on Dec. 6, 2014. Gamba secured their second J-League championship with a 0-0 draw.

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Gamba's Usami fires shot against Tokushima

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Takashi Usami of Gamba Osaka (C) fires a shot in the second half of a game against Tokushima Vortis at Pocari Sweat Stadium in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, on Dec. 6, 2014. The 0-0 draw enabled Gamba to win their second J-League title.

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Tsunami-hit school building sought to be kept as 'relic'

SENDAI, Japan - High school student Sonomi Sato appeals for the preservation of the damaged building of Okawa Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, as an earthquake relic at a gathering in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2014. Sato's younger sister Mizuho, killed in the March 2011 tsunami, was a student at the elementary school.

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Artist Yumeji Takehisa's writings newly found

HIROSHIMA, Japan - A museum in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, displays 20 newly discovered writings, including letters and postcards, by poet and painter Yumeji Takehisa (1884-1934) on Dec. 6, 2014.

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Artist Yumeji Takehisa's writings newly found

HIROSHIM, Japan - Makoto Kuzuhara (R) sets out 20 newly found writings by poet and painter Yumeji Takehisa (1884-1934), including letters and postcards, at a museum in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, on Dec. 6, 2014. Kuzuhara, whose grandfather Shigeru was close to Takehisa as an editor, discovered the writings at his family home in Tokyo in June.

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Gamba win 2nd J-League title

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Gamba Osaka players celebrate after securing their second J-League championship with a 0-0 draw to Tokushima Vortis at Pocari Sweat Stadium in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, on Dec. 6, 2014. Gamba won their first league crown since 2005 as Urawa Reds lost 2-1 at home to Nagoya Grampus.

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Philippines braces for strong typhoon

TACLOBAN, Philippines - Photo shows the port of Tacloban on the Philippine island of Leyte on Dec. 6, 2014, as powerful Typhoon Hagupit approaches the area devastated by a powerful typhoon in November 2013.

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Cars pass by radiation dosimeter in Fukushima Pref.

NAMIE, Japan - Cars pass through the expressway gate in the town of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, that connects Namie with the Miyagi prefectural town of Yamamoto on the Joban Expressway on Dec. 6, 2014, as the Yamamoto-Soma and Minamisoma-Namie sections opened the same day. The radiation dosimeter board is seen near the gate.

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Gamba win 2nd J-League title

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Gamba Osaka players celebrate after securing their second J-League championship with a 0-0 draw to Tokushima Vortis at Pocari Sweat Stadium in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, on Dec. 6, 2014. Gamba won their first league crown since 2005 as Urawa Reds lost 2-1 at home to Nagoya Grampus.

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Santa Claus House made of cookies unveiled in Osaka

OSAKA, Japan - Santa Clause House, made of some 14,000 Bisco cookies of Ezaki Glico Co., is unveiled in the lobby of Hotel New Otani Osaka in western Japan on Dec. 6, 2014.

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Philippines braces for strong typhoon

TACLOBAN, Philippines - Few people are seen in a shopping area in Tacloban on the Philippine island of Leyte on Dec. 6, 2014, as powerful Typhoon Hagupit approaches the area devastated by a powerful typhoon in November 2013.

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Philippines braces for strong typhoon

TACLOBAN, Philippines - People who have evacuated to a shelter offer prayers to wish for the safety of local people in Tacloban on the Philippine island of Leyte on Dec. 6, 2014, as powerful Typhoon Hagupit approaches the area devastated by a powerful typhoon in November 2013.

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Hunger strike by H.K. student leader

HONG KONG, China - Joshua Wong, head of Hong Kong student group Scholarism, is pushed in a wheelchair as he continues his hunger strike in the Admiralty district of the territory on Dec. 6, 2014. Wong, 18, ended the hunger strike later in the day after he felt ill and doctors told him to stop, 108 hours after launching it Dec. 1 to press for talks with the government over Beijing's decision on Hong Kong's leadership election.

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Birthday cake for polar bear

MATSUYAMA, Japan - Peace, a female polar bear kept at a zoo in Tobe in Ehime Prefecture, western Japan, is given a birthday cake made of ice, fruit and sausages during an event at the zoo on Dec. 6, 2014, to celebrate her 15th birthday on Dec. 2.

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Heavy snow hits parts of central, western Japan

NIIGATA, Japan - Photo taken Dec. 6, 2014, shows an area in the city of Niigata on the Sea of Japan coast where snowfall exceeded 30 centimeters.

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Hunger strike by H.K. student leader

HONG KONG, China - Joshua Wong, head of Hong Kong student group Scholarism, continues his hunger strike in the Admiralty district of the territory on Dec. 6, 2014. Wong, 18, ended the hunger strike later in the day after he felt ill and doctors told him to stop, 108 hours after launching it Dec. 1 to press for talks with the government over Beijing's decision on Hong Kong's leadership election.

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Year-end event in Yonago to clear lies by eating tofu

YONAGO, Japan - A young boy puts a piece of paper after writing lies he told this year into a post set up next to a huge tofu in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, Japan, on Dec. 6, 2014. The event was held based on a local tradition that liars are forgiven if they eat tofu at the end of the year.

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Horseback warrior appears in Joban Expressway ceremony

YAMAMOTO, Japan - A horseman of the traditional "Soma Nomaoi" festival adds zest to a ceremony in the Miyagi prefectural town of Yamamoto on Dec. 6, 2014, as the northeastern Japanese town was fully connected with Namie town in Fukushima Prefecture on the Joban Expressway. Parts of the expressway section between the two towns had not opened.

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Heavy snow hits parts of central, western Japan

NIIGATA, Japan - Photo taken Dec. 6, 2014, shows an area in the city of Niigata on the Sea of Japan coast where snowfall exceeded 30 centimeters.

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JSDF plane heads for W. Africa with 20,000 sets of Ebola gear

NAGOYA, Japan - A Japan Air Self-Defense Force transport plane carrying 20,000 sets of anti-Ebola protective gear leaves from the ASDF's Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, for West Africa on Dec. 6, 2014.

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Yokai Watch character acts as stationmaster

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Jibanyan (R), a mascot character for the popular role-playing video game Yokai Watch, becomes "stationmaster" for one day of "Kemamoto Station," an imaginary railway station in the game, together with another character, Emeralnyan, (L) at Kyushu Railway Co.'s Kumamoto Station in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, on Dec. 6, 2014.

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JSDF plane heads for W. Africa with 20,000 sets of Ebola gear

NAGOYA, Japan - Containers with 20,000 sets of anti-Ebola protective gear are loaded onto a Japan Air Self-Defense Force transport plane before its departure from the ASDF's Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, for West Africa on Dec. 6, 2014.

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Yokai Watch character swarmed by kids in western Japan

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Jibanyan, a mascot character for the popular role-playing video game Yokai Watch, is surrounded by children in front of Kyushu Railway Co.'s Kumamoto Station in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, on Dec. 6, 2014, during an event in which it acted as "stationmaster" for one day of "Kemamoto Station," an imaginary station that appears in the game.

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Retired figure skater Takahashi cited by Kurashiki

OKAYAMA, Japan - Retired figure skater Daisuke Takahashi (R), Vancouver Olympic bronze medalist, receives a special merit award from Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture on Dec. 6, 2014, handed to him by Kurashiki Mayor Kaori Ito (L). Takahashi hails from the western Japanese city.

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Ceremony to connect 2 towns on Joban Expressway

YAMAMOTO, Japan - A ribbon-cutting ceremony is held in the Miyagi Prefectural town of Yamamoto on Dec. 6, 2014, to mark the connection of the northeastern Japanese town with Namie town in Fukushima Prefecture on the Joban Expressway. Parts of the expressway section between the two towns had not opened.

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JSDF plane heads for W. Africa with 20,000 sets of Ebola gear

NAGOYA, Japan - Containers with 20,000 sets of anti-Ebola protective gear are loaded onto a Japan Air Self-Defense Force transport plane before its departure from the ASDF's Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, for West Africa on Dec. 6, 2014.

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Ex-Sony engineer explains advanced planetarium projector

TOKYO, Japan - Takayuki Ohira, a former Sony Corp. engineer, stands behind a high-performance projector in Tokyo on Nov. 6, 2014. The projector is used in the Ohira-produced Sound Planetarium 2014 (Nov. 7 - Dec. 25), utilizing High Resolution audio, at the Sony Building in Tokyo.

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Nikkei falls sharply on 1st trading day of 2014

TOKYO, Japan - An electronic display in Tokyo's Yaesu district shows the closing level of the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average on Jan. 6, 2014, the first trading day of the year in Japan. The index fell 382.43 points, or 2.35 percent, from Dec. 30 to 15,908.88.

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Japan in Group C at World Cup

COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil - Group C is displayed on a screen during the draw ceremony for the 2014 soccer World Cup in Costa do Sauipe in Brazil on Dec. 6, 2013. The group consists of Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan.

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Japan in Group C at World Cup

COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil - Group C is displayed on a screen during the draw ceremony for the 2014 soccer World Cup in Costa do Sauipe in Brazil on Dec. 6, 2013. The group consists of Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan.