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Kumamoto gov. visits TSMC headquarters

Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (L) visits the head office of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in Hsinchu, northwestern Taiwan, on Jan. 12, 2023. The world's largest contract chipmaker plans to build a factory in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto.

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China's geographic proximity to Japan emphasized

SHANGHAI, China - Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima speaks at a memorandum-signing ceremony between the Kyushu Tourism Promotion Organization and 28 Chinese tourism companies on Sept. 1, 2014, in Shanghai. He emphasized the geographical proximity between Shanghai and Kyushu, southwestern Japan, as an enticing point for tourists.

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Japanese mascot figure helps sales at Taiwan's 7-Eleven

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (L) is flanked by the southwestern Japanese prefecture's popular mascot character Kumamon holding an "OPEN-chan" doll, a mascot of 7-Eleven stores in Taiwan, in Taipei on Aug. 19, 2014. The prefecture and President Chain Store Corp., Taiwan's operator of 7-Eleven stores, agreed the same day to collaborate for the sale of 25 Kumamon-bearing items at the stores.

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Kumamon's birthday party

KUMAMOTO, Japan - A birthday party is held March 12, 2014, for Kumamon, the popular black bear mascot of Japan's southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto, in the prefectural capital Kumamoto City. Governor Ikuo Kabashima and many fans of Kumamon gathered for the event.

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Kumamon's birthday party

KUMAMOTO, Japan - A birthday party is held March 12, 2014, for Kumamon, the popular black bear mascot of Japan's southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto, in the prefectural capital Kumamoto City. Governor Ikuo Kabashima and many fans of Kumamon gathered for the event.

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Lecture on Kumamon at Harvard

BOSTON, United States - Kumamon (R), the popular black bear mascot of the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto, dances to the tune of a song named after the character during a lecture given by Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (C back) at Harvard University near Boston on Nov. 12, 2013. The lecture titled "Kumamon's political science and economics" was on how Kumamon has helped "maximize the overall happiness" of residents.

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Lecture on Kumamon at Harvard

BOSTON, United States - Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima gives a lecture entitled "Kumamon's political science and economics" -- or how Kumamon, the popular black bear mascot of the southwestern Japanese prefecture, has helped "maximize the overall happiness" of residents -- at Harvard University near Boston on Nov. 12, 2013.

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Kumamon meets Wally

BOSTON, United States - (From L) Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima and "Kumamon," the popular black bear mascot of the southwestern Japanese prefecture, meet Wally, the mascot of the Boston Red Sox, at Fenway Park in Boston on Nov. 12, 2013.

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FAO adds Shizuoka, Kumamoto, Oita to agricultural heritage list

NANAO, Japan - (From L) Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima, Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu and Oita Gov. Katsusada Hirose join hands in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on May 29, 2013, as they attend the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's international conference on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems. The FAO decided later the same day to add areas in the three prefectures to its world agricultural heritage list.

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Kumamoto governor on recognition of Minamata patient

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima holds a press conference at the prefectural government hall in Kumamoto on May 2, 2013. Kabashima said the Kumamoto prefectural government will certify a deceased woman as a victim of the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease by dropping its appeal over a lawsuit that she had filed.

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Thailand gives rain-hit Kumamoto Pref. 5 mil. yen

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (R) receives from Thai Ambassador to Japan Virasakdi Futrakul (L) at the prefectural government hall in Kumamoto on July 30, 2012, a check for 5 million yen in sympathy for damage caused by the torrential rains in mid-July the same year.

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Minamata marks 56th anniv. of disease recognition

MINAMATA, Japan - Environment Minister Goshi Hosono (L) speaks to Minamata disease sufferers in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on May 1, 2012, prior to a memorial ceremony for the 56th anniversary of official recognition of the mercury-poisoning disease. To the right is Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima.

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Yingluck boards Kyushu Shinkansen train

FUKUOKA, Japan - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (R) smiles with the doll ''Kumamon,'' the mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, that she received as a gift from Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (L), at JR Kumamoto station on April 22, 2012. The prime minister made a roundtrip between Kumamoto and Hakata on the bullet train line.

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Yingluck boards Kyushu Shinkansen train

FUKUOKA, Japan - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra smiles with the doll ''Kumamon,'' the mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, that she received as a gift from Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima, at JR Kumamoto station on April 22, 2012. The prime minister made a roundtrip between Kumamoto and Hakata on the bullet train line.

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Environment Minister Hosono in Minamata

MINAMATA, Japan - Environment Minister Goshi Hosono offers flowers at a cenotaph for the victims of Minamata mercury poisoning disease in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Jan. 29, 2012. To the left is Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima.

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Kumamoto's bear mascot wins popularity contest

KUMAMOTO, Japan - ''Kuma-mon'' -- a black bear mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan -- receives a hug from Gov. Ikuo Kabashima at the entrance of the prefectural government office on Nov. 28, 2011. The governor congratulated the mascot for his winning of a popularity contest between about 350 local mascots the previous day.

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Governor calls for canceling Kawabe River dam project

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima speaks during a news conference at Kumamoto prefectural office on Sept. 11. During a Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly meeting earlier in the day, he called on the central government to cancel a dam construction project on the Kawabe River over environmental concerns.

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Kabashima wins Kumamoto gubernatorial election with aid of LDP

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Newly elected Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima speaks to reporters in Kumamoto on March 23 after he won the gubernatorial election with the backing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, beating Takayuki Kamakura, who was recommended by the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, and three other candidates.

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2 seniors in spotlight for discovering new stars

SAGA, Japan - Amateur astronomers Koichi Nishiyama (R), 70, and Fujio Kabashima, 68, photographed in January, hunt for new stars at their private observatory in Miyaki, Saga Prefecture.

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Wall panel featuring "One Piece" characters

Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (R), accompanied by the southwestern Japan prefecture's official black bear mascot Kumamon, speaks on Dec. 4, 2021, during a ceremony to unveil a wall panel featuring characters from the best-selling Japanese manga series "One Piece," set up at Kumamoto airport. The panel was produced as part of a project to help Kumamoto, the hometown of the pirate manga's author Eiichiro Oda, recover from the April 2016 earthquakes.

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Wall panel featuring "One Piece" characters

Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (L) poses with the southwestern Japan prefecture's official black bear mascot Kumamon on Dec. 4, 2021, during a ceremony to unveil a wall panel featuring characters from the best-selling Japanese manga series "One Piece," set up at Kumamoto airport. The panel was produced as part of a project to help Kumamoto, the hometown of the pirate manga's author Eiichiro Oda, recover from the April 2016 earthquakes.

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Amateur astronomers flex their star gazing muscle

SAGA, Japan - Koichi Nishiyama (R), 70, and Fujio Kabashima, 68, two Japanese amateur astronomers who have built their own observatory in Miyaki, Saga Prefecture, discovered six new stars last year and one in February. The pair, who posed for this photo in front of their telescope in January, will be commended by the Astronomical Society of Japan in March for their achievements. According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, less than 20 new stars are discovered each year worldwide, and it is rare for two amateur astronomers to have discovered so many new stars. (Kyodo)

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Kabashima wins Kumamoto gubernatorial election with aid of LDP

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Newly elected Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima speaks to reporters in Kumamoto on March 23 after he won the gubernatorial election with the backing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, beating Takayuki Kamakura, who was recommended by the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, and three other candidates. (Kyodo)

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Governor calls for canceling Kawabe River dam project

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima speaks during a news conference at Kumamoto prefectural office on Sept. 11. During a Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly meeting earlier in the day, he called on the central government to cancel a dam construction project on the Kawabe River over environmental concerns. (Kyodo)

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Kumamoto unveils symbol of reconstruction in motif of Kumamon face

Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima and the prefecture's black bear mascot Kumamon hold a flag bearing a symbol representing the prefecture's reconstruction efforts, designed in the motif of Kumamon's face, during a press conference at the prefectural government offices on June 15, 2016. The southwestern Japan prefecture was hit by powerful earthquakes in mid-April. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Chinese envoy donates to Kumamoto's quake relief

Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua (L) gives Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima a list of donations totaling about 52 million yen in Kumamoto on April 23, 2016, as aid to the southwestern Japan prefecture hit by powerful earthquakes. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Abe visits quake-hit Kumamoto

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) receives written requests from Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima on April 23, 2016 for support in the prefecture hit by powerful earthquakes. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Kumamon reinstated as Kumamoto sales manager

Ikuo Kabashima (L), governor of Japan's southwestern Kumamoto Prefecture, hands an appointment letter to Kumamoto's black bear mascot Kumamon, reinstating him as sales manager for the prefecture, at the prefectural government office on June 29, 2015. Kumamon was demoted to acting sales manager in March as "a punishment for failing to lose weight." The governor commented that Kumamon did not sulk about the demotion and worked even harder. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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"Kumamon" mascot to promote Kumamoto Pref. at Cannes film festival

File photo taken on Nov. 19, 2014, shows "Kumamon," one of the most popular regional mascots created by Japan's southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto. Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima said on May 7, 2015, that Kumamon will appear at the Japan Pavilion at the Cannes International Film Festival in France. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Kumamoto governor receives courtesy visit by Chinese mission head

Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (R) receives a courtesy call at his office in the southwestern Japanese city on April 23, 2015, by Lu Fengding, head of a mission sent to Japan by Chinese media and other organizations for the promotion of exchanges between the two countries. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Kumamon fails in diet, demoted to assistant manager

"Kumamon," Kumamoto Prefecture's popular black bear mascot, holds a letter of appointment in Tokyo on March 30, 2015, after Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima announced Kumamon's demotion from sales manager to assistant sales manager as a penalty for failing to lose weight. The mascot had been on a diet since October 2014 after the governor pointed out that it was too fat. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Kumamon fails in diet, demoted to assistant manager

"Kumamon," Kumamoto Prefecture's popular black bear mascot, is pictured in Tokyo on March 30, 2015, after Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima announced Kumamon's demotion from sales manager to assistant sales manager as a penalty for failing to lose weight. The mascot had been on a diet since October 2014 after the governor pointed out that it was too fat. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Kumamoto celebrates birthday of its mascot "Kumamon"

Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima delivers a speech in Japan's southwestern city of Kumamoto on March 12, 2015, during a birthday ceremony for "Kumamon," the prefecture's popular black bear mascot. According the prefecture, the age of Kumamon is kept secret. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Opening of JR Kumamoto Station commercial building

Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (7th from L) attends a tape-cutting ceremony in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, on April 23, 2021, to mark the opening of a large commercial building in front of JR Kumamoto Station.

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Japan's Kumamoto region to attract tourists from Hong Kong

"Kumamon," a mascot character from Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture, and Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (R) attend a ceremony in Hong Kong on Nov. 13, 2015, to celebrate the opening of a tourism office in the Chinese territory. With the office, the southwestern Japanese prefecture aims to attract more tourists from Hong Kong. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Minamata marks 56th anniv. of disease recognition

MINAMATA, Japan - Environment Minister Goshi Hosono (L) speaks to Minamata disease sufferers in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on May 1, 2012, prior to a memorial ceremony for the 56th anniversary of official recognition of the mercury-poisoning disease. To the right is Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima. (Kyodo)

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Pupils on a school trip

A group portrait taken in front of Jingubashi (bridge) during school trip. Harajuku Station was originally built in October 1906, a little closer (north) to Yoyogi than its present location. Meiji Jingu was completed in November, 1919. Jingubashi was built in September 1920 across the Yamanote Line from the Omote Sando (front approach) to the shrine. Kabashima Masayoshi, who founded the first bridge design engineering company in Japan, participated in the construction project. The grove on the far right is part of Meiji Jingu. The left edge of this photograph is now Yoyogi Park. Probably taken between 1921 and 1923.==Date:unknown, Place:Tokyo, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number72‐37‐0]

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Yingluck boards Kyushu Shinkansen train

FUKUOKA, Japan - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (R) smiles with the doll ''Kumamon,'' the mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, that she received as a gift from Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (L), at JR Kumamoto station on April 22, 2012. The prime minister made a roundtrip between Kumamoto and Hakata on the bullet train line. (Kyodo)

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Yingluck boards Kyushu Shinkansen train

FUKUOKA, Japan - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra smiles with the doll ''Kumamon,'' the mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, that she received as a gift from Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima, at JR Kumamoto station on April 22, 2012. The prime minister made a roundtrip between Kumamoto and Hakata on the bullet train line. (Kyodo)

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Japanese mascot figure helps sales at Taiwan's 7-Eleven

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (L) is flanked by the southwestern Japanese prefecture's popular mascot character Kumamon holding an "OPEN-chan" doll, a mascot of 7-Eleven stores in Taiwan, in Taipei on Aug. 19, 2014. The prefecture and President Chain Store Corp., Taiwan's operator of 7-Eleven stores, agreed the same day to collaborate for the sale of 25 Kumamon-bearing items at the stores. (Kyodo)

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Environment Minister Hosono in Minamata

MINAMATA, Japan - Environment Minister Goshi Hosono offers flowers at a cenotaph for the victims of Minamata mercury poisoning disease in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Jan. 29, 2012. To the left is Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima. (Kyodo)

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Kumamoto's bear mascot wins popularity contest

KUMAMOTO, Japan - ''Kuma-mon'' -- a black bear mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan -- receives a hug from Gov. Ikuo Kabashima at the entrance of the prefectural government office on Nov. 28, 2011. The governor congratulated the mascot for his winning of a popularity contest between about 350 local mascots the previous day. (Kyodo)

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Kabashima

Kabashima==Date:unknown, Place:Nagasaki, Photo:Ueno Hikoma, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images)

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Dam construction plan in southwestern Japan

Photo taken Nov. 19, 2020, shows an area in the Kumamoto Prefecture village of Itsuki in southwestern Japan to be submerged under a controversial dam construction project. Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima said the same day that he gave the green light to the decades-old project on the Kawabe River, the main branch of the Kuma River that caused deadly flooding during torrential rain in July.

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Dam construction plan in southwestern Japan

Photo taken Nov. 17, 2020, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows an area in the Kumamoto Prefecture village of Itsuki in southwestern Japan to be submerged under a controversial dam construction project. Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima said Nov. 19 that he gave the green light to the decades-old project on the Kawabe River, the main branch of the Kuma River that caused deadly flooding during torrential rain in July.

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Dam construction plan in southwestern Japan

Photo taken Nov. 17, 2020, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows an area in the Kumamoto Prefecture village of Itsuki in southwestern Japan to be submerged under a controversial dam construction project. Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima said Nov. 19 that he gave the green light to the decades-old project on the Kawabe River, the main branch of the Kuma River that caused deadly flooding during torrential rain in July.

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Dam construction plan in southwestern Japan

Photo taken Nov. 17, 2020, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows an area in the Kumamoto Prefecture village of Itsuki in southwestern Japan to be submerged under a controversial dam construction project. Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima said Nov. 19 that he gave the green light to the decades-old project on the Kawabe River, the main branch of the Kuma River that caused deadly flooding during torrential rain in July.

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Sumo: Shodai in home prefecture of Kumamoto

Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament winner Shodai (2nd from L), who hails from Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, poses for a photo with Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (L) and the prefecture's popular mascot Kumamon at the prefectural government headquarters in Kumamoto on Oct. 9, 2020.

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Sumo: Shodai in home prefecture of Kumamoto

Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament winner Shodai (R, front row), who hails from Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, poses for a photo with Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima (2nd from R, front row) and the prefecture's popular mascot Kumamon at the prefectural government headquarters in Kumamoto on Oct. 9, 2020.

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Kumamoto Gov. Kabashima

Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima speaks to reporters in Hitoyoshi in the southwestern Japan prefecture on July 13, 2020, after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who visited the torrential rain disaster-stricken prefecture earlier in the day.