Olympic torch arrives at Iguazu Falls

Olympic torch arrives at Iguazu Falls

FOZ DO IGUACU, Brazil, July 2 Kyodo - A torch bearer runs along a walkway near the world famous Iguazu Falls on July 1, 2016, ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. The Olympic flame will have been carried through 327 Brazilian cities by the time it arrives for the opening ceremony on Aug. 5.

PM Abe casts absentee ballot for upper house election

PM Abe casts absentee ballot for upper house election

TOKYO, Japan, July 1 Kyodo - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe receives a ballot to cast an absentee vote on July 1, 2016 for the July 10 House of Councillors election at a polling station in Tokyo. (Pool photo)

Japan beach receives international Blue Flag award

Japan beach receives international Blue Flag award

YOKOSUKA, Japan, July 1 Kyodo - Children play in the water at Yuigahama beach in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo on July 1, 2016, the first day of the sea-bathing season for the beach. The beach has received the Blue Flag designation, an international award given by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education to beaches and marinas that implement sustainable management and meet high standards in safety and conservation.

Original shinkansen front car to be displayed at Kyoto museum

Original shinkansen front car to be displayed at Kyoto museum

KYOTO, July 1 Kyodo - Photo taken July 1, 2015, in Kyoto shows one of the original front cars of the shinkansen bullet train, being towed on a trailer, heading to the Kyoto Railway Museum for exhibition. The first front cars, nicknamed "button nose," were operated from 1964 to 2008. The museum will open in the spring of 2016.

Mizuho Bank to consider merging with trust bank

Mizuho Bank to consider merging with trust bank

TOKYO, Japan - Mizuho Bank President Yasuhiro Sato tells a press conference in Tokyo on July 1, 2013, that his bank may consider merging with Mizuho Trust & Banking Co. in April 2016 or later, once their computer systems are integrated.