Fishing ship sinks in Sea of Japan

Fishing ship sinks in Sea of Japan

HAMADA, Japan - A patrol boat of the Japan Coast Guard searches for missing fishermen after the No. 1 Gempuku Maru, a fishing vessel, with a crew of 20 men, sank in the morning on Dec. 24, 2014, in a Sea of Japan area off the city of Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, in western Japan. Two fishermen died and three others remain missing, the Japan Coast Guard said. The photo was taken from a Kyodo News helicopter.

Fishing ship sinks in Sea of Japan

Fishing ship sinks in Sea of Japan

HAMADA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows an area in the Sea of Japan off the city of Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, in western Japan, where the No. 1 Gempuku Maru, a fishing vessel, with a crew of 20 men, sank in the morning on Dec. 24, 2014, with oil coating the sea area. Two fishermen died and three others remain missing, the Japan Coast Guard said.

'Washi' craftwork exhibition in Shimane Pref.

'Washi' craftwork exhibition in Shimane Pref.

MATSUE, Japan - Objects made from "Sekishu washi" traditional handmade paper in Shimane Prefecture are exhibited at the Sekisho Art Museum in Hamada in the western Japanese prefecture in November 2014. Japanese "washi" was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list the same month.

'Washi' craftwork exhibition in Shimane Pref.

'Washi' craftwork exhibition in Shimane Pref.

MATSUE, Japan - A foldable "shoji" screen, used as window blinds, made from "Sekishu washi" traditional handmade paper in Shimane Prefecture is exhibited at the Sekisho Art Museum in Hamada in the western Japanese prefecture in November 2014. Japanese "washi" was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list the same month.

Torrential rain hits western Japan

Torrential rain hits western Japan

HAMADA, Japan - Photo taken Aug. 24, 2013, shows a house destroyed by a mudslide in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture following torrential rain.

Torrential rain hits western Japan

Torrential rain hits western Japan

HAMADA, Japan - Photo taken Aug. 24, 2013, shows a house destroyed by mudslides in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture following torrential rain.

Shimane-Vladivostok liner cargo shipping route

Shimane-Vladivostok liner cargo shipping route

MATSUE, Japan - Dmitriy Kurdakov (L) of Russian shipping company Fesco Transportation Group and Katsuhiro Takahashi, president of Japanese trading firm LIB Corp., shake hands at the Shimane prefectural government hall in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, on Nov. 19, 2012. The two companies agreed to open a new regular cargo shipping link between Hamada port in Shimane Prefecture and Vladivostok in Russia's Far East.

Russia-donated water sent to disaster areas in Japan

Russia-donated water sent to disaster areas in Japan

MATSUE, Japan - A truck is loaded with mineral water donated by a Russian company in a warehouse in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, on June 23, 2011, ahead of its departure for northeastern Japan areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake-tsunami disaster.

Inmates bid farewell to dogs

Inmates bid farewell to dogs

MATSUE, Japan - Inmates at the Shimane Asahi Rehabilitation Program Center in Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture, pet one of the Labrador retrievers they helped raise as guide dog candidates as they bid farewell before handing them over to the Japan Guide Dog Association on Jan. 24, 2011. The prison in western Japan introduced a program to raise puppies as guide dog candidates in 2009 with the aim of instilling inmates with a sense of responsibility and compassion for others. (Inmates' name tags are retouched to protect their privacy)

Torso, leg bones of college student found

Torso, leg bones of college student found

MATSUE, Japan - Police vehicles drive on a mountain road near the town of Kita-Hiroshima in Hiroshima Prefecture on Nov. 9, 2009, as police investigate the case of 19-year-old Miyako Hiraoka, a first-year student at the University of Shimane in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, whose head, torso and leg bones were found on a slope near the top of 1,223-meter Mt. Garyu in Hiroshima.

Distribution of merchandise coupons begins in Hamada

Distribution of merchandise coupons begins in Hamada

A woman shows merchandise coupons distributed by the municipal government of Hamada in Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, on Jan. 29. Hamada is the first municipality to initiate the central government's economic stimulus program and plans to issue some 280 million yen worth of coupons.

Chekhov play performed by Japanese NPO in Vladivostok

Chekhov play performed by Japanese NPO in Vladivostok

Members of "Sosaku Tenkaratto" (Creation 10 Carats), a nonprofit organization in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, perform a play written by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov at the Pushkin Theater in Vladivostok in the Russian Far East on Sept. 20, 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japanese NPO performs Chekhov play in Vladivostok

Japanese NPO performs Chekhov play in Vladivostok

Members of "Sosaku Tenkaratto" (Creation 10 Carats), a nonprofit organization in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, performs a play written by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov at the Pushkin Theater in Vladivostok in the Russian Far East on Sept. 20, 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Torso, leg bones of college student found

Torso, leg bones of college student found

MATSUE, Japan - Police vehicles drive on a mountain road near the town of Kita-Hiroshima in Hiroshima Prefecture on Nov. 9, 2009, as police investigate the case of 19-year-old Miyako Hiraoka, a first-year student at the University of Shimane in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, whose head, torso and leg bones were found on a slope near the top of 1,223-meter Mt. Garyu in Hiroshima. (Kyodo)

Russia-donated water sent to disaster areas in Japan

Russia-donated water sent to disaster areas in Japan

MATSUE, Japan - A truck is loaded with mineral water donated by a Russian company in a warehouse in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, on June 23, 2011, ahead of its departure for northeastern Japan areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake-tsunami disaster. (Kyodo)

Fishing ship sinks in Sea of Japan

Fishing ship sinks in Sea of Japan

HAMADA, Japan - A patrol boat of the Japan Coast Guard searches for missing fishermen after the No. 1 Gempuku Maru, a fishing vessel, with a crew of 20 men, sank in the morning on Dec. 24, 2014, in a Sea of Japan area off the city of Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, in western Japan. Two fishermen died and three others remain missing, the Japan Coast Guard said. The photo was taken from a Kyodo News helicopter. (Kyodo)

Inmates bid farewell to dogs

Inmates bid farewell to dogs

MATSUE, Japan - Inmates at the Shimane Asahi Rehabilitation Program Center in Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture, pet one of the Labrador retrievers they helped raise as guide dog candidates as they bid farewell before handing them over to the Japan Guide Dog Association on Jan. 24, 2011. The prison in western Japan introduced a program to raise puppies as guide dog candidates in 2009 with the aim of instilling inmates with a sense of responsibility and compassion for others. (Inmates' name tags are retouched to protect their privacy) (Kyodo)

Distribution of merchandise coupons begins in Hamada

Distribution of merchandise coupons begins in Hamada

A woman shows merchandise coupons distributed by the municipal government of Hamada in Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, on Jan. 29. Hamada is the first municipality to initiate the central government's economic stimulus program and plans to issue some 280 million yen worth of coupons. ==Kyodo