Japan cultural envoys

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken in Tokyo on May 22, 2013, shows six of eight arts professionals whom Japan has selected as cultural ambassadors to help promote Japanese arts and culture overseas. They are (from L to R) calligrapher Souun Takeda, art unit Maywa Denki member Nobumichi Tosa, plaster artist Shuhei Hasado, Japanese-style gardener Masashi Hirao, dancer and choreographer Kaiji Moriyama, and "taiko" player Leonard Eto. The other two, actor Mirai Moriyama and Tama Art University professor Yuko Hasegawa, are not in the photo.