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Japan nuclear plant clears safety hurdle toward restarting

TOKYO, Japan - Shunichi Tanaka, chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on July 16, 2014, after the NRA approved a draft report required to resume the operations of two reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture. The reactors are expected to become the first nuclear facility to restart under new safety standards introduced following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

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PM Abe visits fisheries promotion center in Miyagi

SHICHIGAHAMA, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) visits a fisheries promotion center on July 16, 2014, in Shichigahama, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. (Pool photo)

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Elephant fatally injures breeding staff

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in October 2005 shows Fuji Safari Park, near the foot of Mt. Fuji in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture. An elephant keeper at the safari park died on Oct. 16, 2012, after being attacked by a mother elephant that had given birth two days earlier. The keeper, a Lao national, began working at the safari park in July 2011, when he was assigned to take care of the mother elephant, and had been checking on the baby at the time of the attack.

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Nuclear disaster-hit village reclassified into 3 areas

IITATE, Japan - Officials (C) from the Cabinet Office lock fences on a road leading to the Nagadoro district of Iitate village, Fukushima Prefecture, past midnight of July 16, 2012. The village, nearly all of whose residents have been evacuated since the March 2011 nuclear accident, was reclassified July 17 into three areas with varying levels of accessibility. Due to the high level of radiation exposure, the Nagadoro district was classified as "an area difficult to return to" for a long period of time.

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Nuclear disaster-hit village reclassified into 3 areas

IITATE, Japan - Grass is being cut in the Nagadoro district of Iitate village, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2012, with a dosimeter (front) showing radiation levels of more than nine microsieverts per hour, before the government locks fences on roads leading to the district at midnight. The village, nearly all of whose residents have been evacuated since the March 2011 nuclear accident, was reclassified July 17 into three areas with varying levels of accessibility. Due to the high level of radiation exposure, the Nagadoro district was classified as "an area difficult to return to" for a long period of time.

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Nuclear disaster-hit village reclassified into 3 areas

IITATE, Japan - Workers decontaminate farmland in the Nagadoro district of Iitate village, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2012, before the government locks fences on roads leading to the district at midnight. The village, nearly all of whose residents have been evacuated since the March 2011 nuclear accident, was reclassified July 17 into three areas with varying levels of accessibility. Due to the high level of radiation exposure, the Nagadoro district was classified as "an area difficult to return to" for a long period of time.

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Nuclear disaster-hit village reclassified into 3 areas

IITATE, Japan - Residents of Iitate, a village in Fukushima Prefecture, visit their ancestors' graves in the village's Nagadoro district on July 16, 2012, before the government locks fences on roads leading to the district at midnight. The village, nearly all of whose residents have been evacuated since the March 2011 nuclear accident, was reclassified July 17 into three areas with varying levels of accessibility. Due to the high level of radiation exposure, the Nagadoro district was classified as "an area difficult to return to" for a long period of time.

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1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

IWAKI, Japan - Three local women working as tour guides, including Yukiei Hakozaki (L), enter the water at Nakoso beach in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2012, marking the start of the swimming season on the Marine Day public holiday. The beach opened the same day as the prefecture's only functioning beach for the summer, with all other beaches to remain closed following the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.

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1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

IWAKI, Japan - Parents and their son have fun at Nakoso beach in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2012, the Marine Day public holiday. The beach opened the same day as the prefecture's only functioning beach for the summer, with all other beaches to remain closed following the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.

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1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

IWAKI, Japan - Three local women working as tour guides enter the water at Nakoso beach in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2012, marking the start of the swimming season on the Marine Day public holiday. The beach opened the same day as the prefecture's only functioning beach for the summer, with all other beaches to remain closed following the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.

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Fluid removed from emperor's chest

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken July 16, 2011, shows Japanese Emperor Akihito. The 78-year-old emperor underwent a procedure on March 7, 2012, to remove fluid from his chest that had accumulated since his heart bypass surgery in the previous month, the Imperial Household Agency said.

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Emperor Akihito enters hospital for heart surgery

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken on July 16, 2011, shows Japanese Emperor Akihito. The 78-year-old emperor entered the University of Tokyo Hospital in Tokyo on Feb. 17, 2012, to prepare to undergo heart bypass surgery the following day.

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Emperor to resume official duties

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken July 16, 2011, in Tokyo shows Japanese Emperor Akihito. The Imperial Household Agency said on Nov. 28 that the emperor, who was discharged from hospital Nov. 24, will resume his official duties Nov. 29. The 77-year-old emperor was admitted to the University of Tokyo Hospital on Nov. 6 to receive treatment for bronchial pneumonia.

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Female jockey record holder Miyashita retires

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows Hitomi Miyashita jockeying at Nagoya racecourse in Aichi Prefecture in July 2005. Miyashita, 34, who owns the Japanese record for the most victories by a female jockey, retired on Aug. 16, 2011, from professional horse racing.

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Beef cattle in Fukushima Pref.

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Photo shows beef cattle at a farm in Miharu, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2011. Hundreds of cows were confirmed to have been shipped from the prefecture after being fed rice straw contaminated with radioactive cesium.

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Author of Captain Tsubasa visits Japan's national women's soccer team members

FRANKFURT, Germany - Yoichi Takahashi (L), the author of the popular soccer cartoon ''Captain Tsubasa,'' visits Japan's national women's soccer team members in Frankfurt on July 16, 2011, the day before they play the United States in the final of the Women's World Cup, and gives them a Japanese national flag with a drawing of Tsubasa and of Kaede, the character he created to cheer for the squad.

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Japan manager before Women's World Cup final

FRANKFURT, Germany - Norio Sasaki (R), manager of the Japan national women's soccer team, speaks at a press conference in Frankfurt on July 16, 2011, a day before the final of the Women's World Cup tournament in Germany against the United States. Team captain Homare Sawa (C) and Aya Miyama also attended the press conference.

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U.S. Navy ship in Aomori Pref.

AOMORI, Japan - Lieutenant Commander Todd Levant (R), skipper of the U.S. Navy's mines countermeasure ship USS Defender, attends a press conference at Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force's Ominato base in Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, on July 16, 2011. The Defender takes part in a Japan-U.S. joint exercise in Mutsu Bay.

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Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi nuclear power plant

NAGOYA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on July 16, 2011, shows the Oi nuclear power plant in the town of Oi, Fukui Prefecture, operated by Kansai Electric Power Co. The plant's No. 1 reactor was halted the same day due to a problem with its cooling system.

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N. Korean foreign minister in Beijing

BEIJING, China - North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun arrives at Beijing airport from Pyongyang on July 16, 2011. Pak is believed to be heading to a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum on the Indonesian island of Bali in the following week.

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S. Korean tourism minister in Sendai

SENDAI, Japan - South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choung Byoung Gug (L) talks with a woman at a temporary housing unit for people affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 16, 2011.

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Takeda at 100th anniv. of JASA, JOC

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda speaks at a reception to mark the 100th anniversary of the Japan Sports Association and the JOC in Tokyo on July 16, 2011. Takeda announced that Tokyo will bid for the 2020 Olympics during the reception.

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Obama, Dalai Lama to meet in Washington

TOKYO, Japan - Combined file photo shows U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. The two leaders are expected to meet in Washington on July 16, 2011.

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Tohoku Rokkon Festival

SENDAI, Japan - People perform ''Suzume Odori'' (sparrow dance) of the Sendai area during Tohoku Rokkon (six souls) Festival in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 16, 2011, the first day of the two-day festival. The major festivals of the six prefectures in the Tohoku region, northeastern Japan, are jointly held in the hope of recovering from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

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Tohoku Rokkon Festival

SENDAI, Japan - Dancers perform the Sansa Dance of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, during Tohoku Rokkon (six souls) Festival in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 16, 2011, the first day of the two-day festival. The major festivals of the six prefectures in the Tohoku region, northeastern Japan, are jointly held in the hope of recovering from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

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Morita at Fed Cup

MIKI, Japan - Ayumi Morita plays against Mailen Auroux of Argentina in a Fed Cup singles match at Bourbon Beans Dome in Hyogo Prefecture on July 16, 2011. Morita beat Auroux 6-2, 6-3.

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Tohoku Rokkon Festival

SENDAI, Japan - Dancers of the Hanagasa Festival of Yamagata Prefecture leave an area at Tohoku Rokkon (six souls) Festival in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 16, 2011, the first day of the two-day festival, as they were not able to finish their scheduled performance because of the overflowing crowd. The major festivals of the six prefectures in the Tohoku region, northeastern Japan, are jointly held in the hope of recovering from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

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Ishihara, Rogge meet in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara (L) and International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge shake hands during a reception to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japan Sports Association and the Japanese Olympic Committee in Tokyo on July 16, 2011. Ishihara and the JOC announced during the reception that Tokyo will bid for the 2020 Olympics.

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Tohoku Rokkon Festival

SENDAI, Japan - Drummers and dancers perform the Sansa Dance of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, during Tohoku Rokkon (six souls) Festival in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 16, 2011, the first day of the two-day festival. The major festivals of the six prefectures in the Tohoku region, northeastern Japan, are jointly held in the hope of recovering from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

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Cattle straw

MIHARU, Japan - Cattle are fed on straw declared safe by the Fukushima prefectural government at a farm in the town of Miharu on July 16, 2011. Cattle in the prefecture fed with straw contaminated with radioactive cesium have been shipped to other prefectures.

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Tohoku Rokkon Festival

SENDAI, Japan - Nebuta float (front) from Aomori Prefecture and ''Kanto'' lanterns (back) from Akita Prefecture are exhibited at the Sendai city office in Miyagi Prefecture on July 16, 2011, the first day of the two-day Tohoku Rokkon (six souls) Festival. The major festivals of the six prefectures in the Tohoku region, northeastern Japan, are jointly held in the hope of recovering from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

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Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi nuclear power plant

NAGOYA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on July 16, 2011, shows the Oi nuclear power plant in the town of Oi, Fukui Prefecture, operated by Kansai Electric Power Co. The plant's No. 1 reactor was halted the same day due to a problem with its cooling system.

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Kan, ministers meet local leaders in Fukushima Pref.

KORIYAMA, Japan - (From L) Reconstruction minister Tatsuo Hirano, Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Goshi Hosono, state minister in charge of the nuclear disaster, attend a meeting in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2011, with leaders of municipalities near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Kan told reporters after the meeting that the government will make utmost efforts to complete the second phase of work to contain the crisis earlier than planned.

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PM Kan meets local leaders in Fukushima Pref.

KORIYAMA, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan speaks during a meeting with leaders of municipalities near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2011.

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Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi nuclear power plant

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken in June 2011, shows Nos. 1 (front) and 2 (back) reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant in the town of Oi, Fukui Prefecture, operated by Kansai Electric Power Co. The No. 1 unit will be manually halted due to a problem with its cooling system, prefectural officials said July 16, 2011.

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Doi at Fed Cup

MIKI, Japan - Japan's Misaki Doi returns the ball to Maria Irigoyen of Argentina during a Fed Cup World Group 2 match at Bourbon Beans Dome in Hyogo Prefecture on July 16, 2011. Doi thrashed Irigoyen 6-0, 6-0.

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Nagasaki peace statue cleaned

NAGASAKI, Japan - The Peace Statue in Nagasaki Peace Park is cleaned on July 16, 2011, ahead of the anniversary of the Aug. 9, 1945, U.S. atomic bombing of the city.

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Ishihara at 100th anniv. of JASA, JOC

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara speaks at a ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japan Sports Association and the Japanese Olympic Committee in Tokyo on July 16, 2011. The JOC and Ishihara announced that Tokyo will bid for the 2020 Olympics during the reception.

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Radiation test on straw

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - An official of the city of Minamisoma in Fukushima Prefecture puts straw for cattle into a bag for radiation testing at a farm in the city on July 16, 2011. Radioactive cesium has been detected in beef from cattle raised in the city.

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Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi nuclear power plant

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken in June 2011, shows Nos. 1 to 4 reactors (from front to back) at the Oi nuclear power plant in the town of Oi, Fukui Prefecture, operated by Kansai Electric Power Co. The No. 1 unit will be manually halted due to a problem with its cooling system, prefectural officials said July 16, 2011.

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Rogge at 100th anniv. of JASA, JOC

TOKYO, Japan - International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge speaks at a ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japan Sports Association and the Japanese Olympic Committee in Tokyo on July 16, 2011. The JOC announced that Tokyo will bid for the 2020 Olympics during the reception.

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Emperor at 100th anniv. of JASA, JOC

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Emperor Akihito speaks at a ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japan Sports Association and the Japanese Olympic Committee in Tokyo on July 16, 2011.

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Ousted Thai premier's sister

BANGKOK, Thailand - Yingluck Shinawatra speaks in Bangkok on May 16, 2011, after being elected by the Thai opposition Puea Thai Party as its prime ministerial candidate for the July 3 general election. Yingluck Shinawatra is the youngest sister of ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.