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Ex-AUM cult member Hirata taken to public prosecutors

TOKYO, Japan - A vehicle carrying Makoto Hirata, a former leading member of the AUM Shinrikyo cult, leaves Osaki Police Station in Tokyo on Jan. 2, 2012, as police officers take him for further questioning by public prosecutors. Hirata turned himself in to police on Dec. 31 after being on the run for more than 16 years. He was immediately arrested for suspected involvement in a conspiracy with AUM founder Shoko Asahara and other followers to abduct Kiyoshi Kariya, chief clerk at a notary office in Tokyo, in February 1995.

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Dispenser to help elderly take medicine

TOKYO, Japan - A box-shaped medicine dispenser that helps elderly people take the correct dose of medicine at the right time is shown in Tokyo on Oct. 2, 2014, before it is released next February. It was developed by CareBot Corp., a joint venture between nursing care provider Saint-Care Holding Corp. and car navigation systems maker Clarion Co.

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Hiroki Kokubo

FUKUOKA, Japan - A February 2013 file photo shows former Softbank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants slugger Hiroki Kokubo. Baseball sources said on Oct. 2, 2013, that he is set to be named full-time manager of the Japan national baseball team.

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Cardboard cathedral in New Zealand

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand - Japanese architect Shigeru Ban (L) stands on Sept. 2, 2013, in a cardboard cathedral he designed in Christchurch, New Zealand after its completion. The cathedral was constructed near a cathedral damaged by a devastating earthquake that struck the city in February 2011.

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Maiko throw beans

KYOTO, Japan - "Maiko" apprentice geisha participate in an annual bean-throwing event at Kyoto's Yasaka Shrine on Feb. 2, 2013. People in Japan customarily throw beans to drive away demons and welcome good luck at traditional "setsubun" events in early February.

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Maiko throw beans

KYOTO, Japan - "Maiko" apprentice geisha participate in an annual bean-throwing event at Kyoto's Yasaka Shrine on Feb. 2, 2013. People in Japan customarily throw beans to drive away demons and welcome good luck at traditional "setsubun" events in early February.

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Christchurch cathedral

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand - Photo taken in February 2012 shows the cathedral damaged by the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Bishop Victoria Matthews said on March 2, 2012, the cathedral will be demolished.

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Senegalese singer N'Dour

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in December 2000 shows prominent Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour. According to Reuters, N'Dour announced on Nov. 26, 2011, the cancellation of concert dates from Jan. 2, 2012, as he would be entering politics, but did not say whether he would run in Senegal's presidential election slated for February.

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N. Korea acknowledges failure of currency reform

BEIJING, China - Photo taken in February shows a customer using new currency at a shop in a hotel in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. Sources familiar with China-North Korea relations said on March 2, 2010, that North Korea has acknowledged the failure of the currency reform it conducted in November, saying it caused confusion in the supply of money and the distribution of goods.

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Obama-Dalai Lama meeting would damage Sino-U.S. ties: China

BEIJING, China - Zhu Weiqun, executive deputy head of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department, speaks about an expected U.S. visit by the Dalai Lama during a news conference in Beijing on Feb. 2, 2010. Zhu, who recently held talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys in Beijing, warned that if the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, meets with U.S. President Obama as expected in mid-February, it would seriously damage the political foundation of Sino-U.S. relations.

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Japanese storyteller to perform at U.N.

OSAKA, Japan - ''Rakugo'' comic storyteller Katsura Koharudanji poses during a news conference on Dec. 2, 2009, where he told reporters he will be performing at the United Nations Headquarters and Carnegie Hall in New York in February 2010. The internationally active performer of Japanese comic monologue in the ''kamigata'' style with instruments said he will be performing two classic rakugo stories at the U.N. with French, Spanish and Chinese subtitles.

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U.S. expects Japan to expand refueling operation

TOKYO, Japan - The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) supply ship Hamana refuels a U.S. Navy supply vessel in the Arabian Sea in a photo taken on February 2, 2002. The United States is hoping Japan will expand the refueling operation to include the area off Somalia and to cover vessels from Germany and other countries engaged in maritime inspections, Japanese and U.S. sources said in Washington on Sept. 25.