Search｜Photos & Images & Videos｜KYODO NEWS IMAGES INC

Japan gov't to seek Cabinet approval on defense policy

TOKYO, Japan - Senior lawmakers of Japan's New Komeito party -- (from R) Secretary General Yoshihisa Inoue, party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi and deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa -- attend an in-house meeting on June 30, 2014, in Tokyo to discuss security issues. The government is in the final stages of talks on obtaining Cabinet approval to reinterpret the Constitution to allow Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense.

E

Ruling bloc eyes deal as gov't drafts decision on collective defense

TOKYO, Japan - Ruling bloc lawmakers -- (from R) Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Masahiko Komura, New Komeito party deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa and New Komeito Secretary General Yoshihisa Inoue -- attend a meeting on June 27, 2014, in Tokyo to discuss Japan's exercise of the right to collective self-defense. The two parties are expected to reach an agreement after focusing on a review of Japan's legal constraints on the Self-Defense Forces under the pacifist Constitution.

E

Senior ruling bloc lawmakers discuss collective self-defense

TOKYO, Japan - Senior lawmakers of Japan's ruling bloc attend a meeting on June 20, 2014, in Tokyo to discuss the proposed removal of the self-imposed ban on the right to collective self-defense. (From L) New Komeito party Secretary General Yoshihisa Inoue, New Komeito deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa, Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Masahiko Komura and LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba were among them.

E

Senior ruling bloc lawmakers discuss collective self-defense

TOKYO, Japan - Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Masahiko Komura (R) attends a meeting of the ruling party lawmakers, together with the New Komeito party deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa (C) and Secretary General Yoshihisa Inoue on June 20, 2014, in Tokyo. The LDP proposed Japan should participate in U.N. collective security operations that enable member states to defend each other against attacks, causing a backlash from the coalition partner against what would be a departure from the country's postwar policy.

E

Ruling bloc apart on collective self-defense

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa (L) attends a meeting with Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Masahiko Komura (C) and LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on June 17, 2014, to discuss the government's drive to lift Japan's self-imposed ban on collective self-defense. The government set out on the day its draft overview of a Cabinet decision that would enable Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense, but the ruling parties remained divided over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push for the major policy change.

E

LDP offers new criteria for limited use of collective defense

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa addresses at the party's meeting on security issues in Tokyo on June 13, 2014. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party unveiled the same day a new set of conditions for Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense in a limited manner, as talks with New Komeito intensified on reviewing the country's postwar security policy.

E

New Komeito deputy chief speaks at lower house constitution panel

TOKYO, Japan - Kazuo Kitagawa (C), deputy chief of Japan's ruling coalition partner New Komeito party, speaks at a session of the Commission on the Constitution in the House of Representatives in Tokyo on April 24, 2014.

E

Right to collective self-defense

TOKYO, Japan - Kazuo Kitagawa, deputy chief of the New Komeito party, speaks in an interview with Kyodo News in Tokyo on April 18, 2014. Kitagawa cast doubt about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's move to lift an outright ban on exercising the right to collective self-defense.

E

New Komeito leadership under Yamaguchi to be launched Sept. 8

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party chief Akihiro Ota (L) and Secretary General Kazuo Kitagawa (R) attend the party's executive meeting at its headquarters in Tokyo on Sept. 7 to talk about its new leadership after a heavy defeat in the Aug. 30 House of Representatives election.

E

New Komeito chief Ota offers resignation

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party chief Akihiro Ota (L) offers his resignation at a news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Sept. 3, following its crushing defeat in the Aug. 30 House of Representatives election. The party's Secretary General Kazuo Kitagawa (R) also offered his resignation.

E

Fukuda to reshuffle Cabinet

TOKYO, Japan - Leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party and the LDP's junior coalition partner New Komeito (L-R: New Komeito Secretary General Kazuo Kitagawa, New Komeito chief Akihiro Ota, Prime Minister and LDP chief Yasuo Fukuda, LDP Secretary General Bunmei Ibuki, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura of the LDP) gather at the prime minister's office Aug. 1. Ota said Fukuda sought New Komeito's cooperation in the reshuffling of his Cabinet later in the day.

E

Chinese President Hu meets Japanese ruling bloc delegation

BEIJING, China - Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) talks with Hidenao Nakagawa (C), secretary general of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, and Kazuo Kitagawa, secretary general of the New Komeito party, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 16.

E

Narita airport holds ceremony over extending shorter runway

NARITA, Japan - Transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa (C) and Chiba Gov. Akiko Domoto (L) pose for a photo during a ceremony held at Narita International Airport on Sept. 15 to mark the start of work to extend the shorter of its two runways to 2,500 meters. Work on the 2,180-meter runway has been on hold since the 2002 opening due in part to landowners refusing to give up land needed for the extension.

E

H.K. singer Leung appointed Japan's goodwill ambassador

TOKYO, Japan - Popular Hong Kong singer Isabella Leung (L) and Japan's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa pose during a ceremony in Tokyo on Sept. 11 to appoint Leung as Japan's goodwill ambassador to Hong Kong to promote tourist visits to Japan.

E

Kitagawa to replace Fuyushiba as Komeito secretary-general

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa (L in file photos) is likely to replace Tetsuzo Fuyushiba (R) as secretary-general of governing coalition member New Komeito party, Komeito sources said Aug. 25.

E

More diplomatic efforts needed in N. Korea missile crisis: China

BEIJING, China - Japanese Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa meets with Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan in Beijing on July 13. Kitagawa said Tang indicated that diplomacy by a high-level Chinese delegation currently visiting Pyongyang may not be enough to ease tensions triggered by North Korean missile launches last week.

E

Japan, China, S. Korea ministers agree to promote tourism

KUSHIRO, Japan - (From L to R) Shao Qiwei, director of China's National Tourism Administration, Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kazuo Kitagawa and South Korean Culture and Tourism Minister Kim Myong Gon show off documents they signed after their meeting in Kushiro, Hokkaido on July 2 to try to increase the number of tourist visits among the three countries.

E

Japan, China, S. Korea ministers agree to promote tourism

KUSHIRO, Japan - (From L to R) Shao Qiwei, director of China's National Tourism Administration, Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kazuo Kitagawa and South Korean Culture and Tourism Minister Kim Myong Gon shake hands near Lake Akan in Kushiro, Hokkaido on July 2 after they agreed to try to increase the number of tourist visits among the three countries.

E

Tom Cruise in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise (L), in Japan for the premiere of ''Mission: Impossible III,'' poses with Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa during his visit to the ministry on June 20.

E

6 privatized firms licensed to operate Japan's highways

TOKYO, Japan - Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa (far L) speaks at his ministry on March 31 before the leaders from Metropolitan Expressway Co., Hanshin Expressway Co. and Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Co., East Nippon Expressway Co., Central Nippon Expressway Co. and West Nippon Expressway Co. The government licensed the six privatized corporations to operate the nation's highways, completing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's initiative to privatize four highway-related public corporations.

E

Puffy appointed goodwill ambassadors to U.S. for tourism

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Japanese pop duo Puffy, who have been gaining fans in the United States through an animated television show featuring them, were appointed Jan. 16 as goodwill ambassadors to the United States to promote tourist visits to Japan. Ami Onuki (R), 32, and Yumi Yoshimura (C), 30, received their letter of appointment from Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa (L) as part of the government's ''Visit Japan Campaign.''

E

Int'l transport security confab to open in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa speaks at the opening session of a two-day Ministerial Conference on International Transport Security that began in Tokyo on Jan. 12 to discuss ways to stem terror attacks on public transport systems such as railways, ships and aircraft. The 14 participating countries consist of the G-8 industrialized nations -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States -- plus China, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.

E

Heavy snow claims 67 lives, Kitagawa visits affected area

FUKUI, Japan - Infrastructure minister Kazuo Kitagawa (C) talks with local officials in Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, after inspecting the extent of the damage caused by heavy snowfall in the prefecture on Jan. 8. The death toll from snow-related incidents since the start of the snow season in early December rose to 67.

E

Part of body found in wreckage of derailed train in Yamagata

YAMAGATA, Japan - Transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa (C) on Dec. 27 inspects the wreckage of a train that derailed in Shonai, Yamagata Prefecture, on Dec. Rescuers found part of a human body on Dec. 27 in the wreckage, bringing the death toll to five.

E

Part of body found in wreckage of derailed train in Yamagata

YAMAGATA, Japan - Transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa lays flowers on Dec. 27 after visiting the site in Shonai, Yamagata Prefecture, where an express train derailed on Dec. 25. Rescuers found part of a human body on Dec. 27 in the wreckage of the train, bringing the death toll to five.

E

JR West has 46 cases of ATS activation due to driving error

TOKYO, Japan - Transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa speaks at a press conference at his ministry after receiving an interim report on the April 25 fatal derailment on JR West's Fukuchiyama Line from Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission Chairman Junzo Sato on Sept. 6.

E

JR West has 46 cases of ATS activation due to driving error

TOKYO, Japan - Transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa (R) receives an interim report on the April 25 fatal derailment on JR West's Fukuchiyama Line from Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission Chairman Junzo Sato on Sept. 6. The reports said that West Japan Railway Co. trains experienced 46 incidents of an advanced automatic train stop system being activated due to driving errors or other reasons in fiscal 2004.

E

Kitagawa inspects asbestos using building in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Infrastructure minister Kazuo Kitagawa (R) inspects the former Tokyo branch of Japan Post, where asbestos is used, in Tokyo's Otemachi district on July 29.

E

Japan stays alert after latest London blasts

TOKYO, Japan - Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa speaks at a press conference in the Diet building on July 22 about antiterrorism measures his ministry has taken following the latest attempted bombings on the London transport network the previous day.

E

Japan, China agree on expanding tourist visas to Chinese

BEIJING, China - Japanese Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa (L) and Shao Qiwei, chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, shake hands at a Beijing hotel July 2 after signing an agreement to expand tourism exchanges between the two countries.

E

Japan, S. Korea in accord to expand tourism, cultural exchange

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korean Culture and Tourism Minister Chung Dong Chea (L) and Japanese Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa shake hands in Seoul on June 4 after signing a joint statement to spur bilateral personnel exchanges in the fields of tourism and culture.

E

(2)JR West submits report on measures to enhance safety

TOKYO, Japan - Transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa speaks with reporters at his ministry on May 31 after West Japan Railway Co. submitted a report on measures to enhance the safety of its train services.

E

(1)JR West submits report on measures to enhance safety

TOKYO, Japan - West Japan Railway Co. President Takeshi Kakiuchi (R) speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on May 31 after submitting a report on measures to enhance the safety of its train services to transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa.

E

Transport minister Kitagawa inspects JR West

OSAKA, Japan - Transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa (L) visits West Japan Railway Co. in Osaka for an inspection on May 29 and called for measures to prevent a recurrence of the April 25 derailment -- Japan's worst train disaster in 40 years -- that claimed 107 lives. At right is JR West President Takeshi Kakiuchi.

E

Gov't to oblige railway operators to put speed regulators on curves

TOKYO, Japan - Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa tells a press conference on May 27 that the ministry will require all railway operators in Japan to install an automatic train stop system capable of regulating train speeds on about 2,400 railroad curves. The move comes in response to last month's fatal train derailment in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, which claimed 107 lives.

E

Work starts on Aomori-Hakodate bullet-train line

HAKODATE, Japan - Land, infrastructure and transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa (2nd from L) and Hokkaido Gov. Harumi Takahashi (2nd from R) kick off work to build a shinkansen bullet-train line linking the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido in a ceremony at Ono Town, Hokkaido, on May 22. The new line due for completion will cut the rail travel time between Tokyo and Hakodate in Hokkaido to three hours and 40 minutes, about two hours shorter than now.

E

Transport minister begins safety checks of rail, air transport

TOKYO, Japan - Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa (L) inspects an operation control center at Japan Airlines Corp.'s head office in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on May 2. Kitagawa began safety inspections of rail and air transport systems in the wake of a series of accidents and mishaps, including the fatal train derailment in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, on April 25.

E

(6)Rescue operations continue at train crash site

AMAGASAKI, Japan - Transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa (L, front) visits the site of the April 25 derailment and crash of a commuter train in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, on April 28 for inspection.

E

Minister gives instructions over derailment accident in Hyogo

TOKYO, Japan - Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa (R) gives instructions in Tokyo on April 25 after a train on West Japan Railway Co.'s Fukuchiyama Line derailed and several of its cars slammed into an apartment building in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture earlier in the day.

E

Gov't to try sightseeing info gizmo for foreign tourists

TOKYO, Japan - Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa uses a palm-size device to obtain sightseeing info in English, Chinese and Korean in Tokyo's Asakusa district on April 12. The ministry began a trial run of a portable, interactive computer system for tourists from abroad.

E

China sees 'obstacles' for railway cooperation with Japan

BEIJING, China - Japan's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa speaks to reporters at a hotel in Beijing on Jan. 19 after talks with Chinese Railways Minister Liu Zhijun.

E

Japan proposes expanding visa issuance to Chinese tourists

BEIJING, China - Japanese transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa (L) talks with He Guangwei, chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, in Beijing on Jan. 18. Kitagawa said he proposed to China a plan for Japan to issue visas to group tourists from all over the country for six months from March 25 during the World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.

E

Narita airport chief reports on prolonged land negotiations

TOKYO, Japan - Masahiko Kurono, president of Narita International Airport Corp., speaks at a press conference at the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry in Tokyo on Jan. 11 after briefing land minister Kazuo Kitagawa on the protracted negotiations to buy land needed to extend the second runway at Narita International Airport, northeast of Tokyo.

E

Taiwan actress Lin named goodwill ambassador

TOKYO, Japan - Popular Taiwan model and actress Lin Chiling (L) poses with Japanese Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa in Tokyo on Nov. 24 after being named goodwill ambassador to promote the ministry's ''Visit Japan'' campaign.

E

(2)Kanzaki, other Komeito brass failed to pay pension dues

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party leader Takenori Kanzaki admitted in a news conference in Tokyo on May 12 that he as well Secretary General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, top policy planner Kazuo Kitagawa and 10 other party lawmakers did not pay mandatory national pension dues in the past.

E

(1)Kanzaki, other Komeito brass failed to pay pension dues

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party leader Takenori Kanzaki apologizes at the Diet building May 12 over not paying mandatory national pension dues in the past. He said Secretary General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, top policy planner Kazuo Kitagawa and 10 other party lawmakers also failed to pay pension dues.

E

GSDF says Samawah relatively safe

TOKYO, Japan - (From L to R) Fukushiro Nukaga, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's policy affairs panel, LDP Secretary General Shinzo Abe, Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, head of the New Komeito party's secretary general, and Kazuo Kitagawa, head of Komeito's policy affairs committee, attend a briefing by Defense Agency officials on security in the southeastern Iraqi city of Samawah, where a core unit of Japan's noncombat ground troops is expected to be sent for reconstruction work in Iraq.

E

China concerned about Japan's troop dispatch to Iraq

BEIJING, China - Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong (R) meets Fukushiro Nukaga (C), chairman of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council, and Kazuo Kitagawa, chairman of the Policy Research Council of New Komeito, at the People's Great Hall in Beijing on Jan. 12. Zeng expressed concern about Japan's imminent dispatch of troops to Iraq.

E

China urges Japan to seek peaceful solution to N. Korean nuke crisis

BEIJING, China - Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) poses with Fukushiro Nukaga (C) of the Liberal Democratic Party and Kazuo Kitagawa of the New Komeito party at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Jan. 12. Wang urged Japan to seek a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis whatever the circumstances may be.

E

Ruling parties propose economic and employment measures

TOKYO, Japan - Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) policy chief Taro Aso (R) hands Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi a report compiled by the LDP and its two ruling coalition partners proposing comprehensive economic and employment measures, at the premier's official residence Sept. 7. Policy chiefs from the New Komeito party and the New Conservative Party -- Kazuo Kitagawa (2nd from L) and Kiichi Inoue (L) -- were also present for the handover.