Baseball: Japan Series

Keizo Kawashima (L) of the SoftBank Hawks scores in the first inning on a double by Yuki Yanagita in Game 2 of the Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on Nov. 22, 2020.

Avian flu outbreak confirmed in western Japan

Keizo Hamada, governor of Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan, speaks at a task force meeting at the prefectural government headquarters in Takamatsu on Nov. 5, 2020, after the outbreak of a highly pathogenic avian flu was confirmed at a chicken farm in Mitoyo.

Era name announcement in 1989

File photo taken Jan. 7, 1989, shows then Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Keizo Obuchi unveiling "Heisei" as the name of the new era at the prime minister's office in Tokyo. The next era name will be announced on April 1, 2019, a month before Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the throne following Emperor Akihito's abdication. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

"Heisei" clear folders

Photo shows clear folders sold by the National Archives of Japan printed with a replica of the calligraphy of Japan's current era name "Heisei." The calligraphy was used in 1989 when then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Keizo Obuchi unveiled the new era name following the death of Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa according to the era name of his time. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

"Heisei" clear folders

A woman holds clear folders sold by the National Archives of Japan printed with a replica of the calligraphy of Japan's current era name "Heisei." The calligraphy was used in 1989 when then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Keizo Obuchi unveiled the new era name following the death of Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa according to the era name of his time. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Kin of Japanese killed in WWII sub sinking visit Australia memorial

Shichiro Chiba (2nd from L) and other relatives of an Imperial Japanese naval officer, Toraichi Inoue, along with Japanese Consul General in Sydney Keizo Takewaka (2nd from R), visit a monument in Darwin, Australia on Feb. 18, 2018. Inoue died after his submarine was sunk off the northern Australian coast during World War II. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Interactive art brings together children in Sydney and Gunma

Dignitaries and speakers gather for a photo in front of a projected art work created during Join the Dots at the Sydney Opera House on Jan. 16, 2018. Included in the photo are Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (5th from R) and Keizo Takewaka (C), Japan consul general in Sydney. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Baseball: Hawks win 8th Japan Series title

Keizo Kawashima hits a walk-off single in the 11th inning to give the SoftBank Hawks a 4-3 win over the DeNA BayStars in Game 6 of the Japan Series at Yafuoku Dome in Fukuoka on Nov. 4, 2017. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Warmbier just tip of iceberg of N. Korea abuses: Kirby

Michael Kirby (L), former chairman of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on North Korea, poses with Japanese Consul General Keizo Takewaka in Sydney on June 28, 2017, at a celebration for his conferment of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, which he received from the Japanese government in April. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Australia marks 75th anniv. of Japan WWII submarine attack on Sydney

Japanese Consul General Keizo Takewaka inspects part of one of the recovered Japanese midget submarines in Sydney on June 1, 2017. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Australia marks 75th anniv. of Japan WWII submarine attack on Sydney

Japanese Consul General Keizo Takewaka (R) lays a wreath at the HMAS Kuttabul Memorial site in Sydney on June 1, 2017. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

AKB48 to have sea-based sister group

Mayu Watanabe (R), a member of the Japanese all-girl idol group AKB48, visits Kagawa Gov. Keizo Hamada at the prefectural government offices in Takamatsu on Jan. 23, 2017, to solicit applications to become members of STU48. Standing for Setouchi, the Japanese name of the Seto Inland Sea area, STU48 will be the latest sister group of the AKB48 family of all-girl pop groups and will have its theater on a boat that will tour around the body of water. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Era name for new emperor may be announced ahead of accession: sources

Chief Cabinet Secretary Keizo Obuchi unveils the name of a new era, "Heisei," in a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Jan. 7, 1989, following the death of Emperor Hirohito earlier that day. An era name is declared for the reign of each emperor under law in Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

World-renowned pianist Hiroko Nakamura dies at 72

File photo taken in May 2000 shows Japanese classical pianist Hiroko Nakamura giving a piano performance at the funeral of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. The world-famous pianist, also known as an author and television personality, died on July 26, 2016, at her home in Tokyo aged 72 after having battled colon cancer, according to her agent. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japanese native chicken beauty contest held

Keizo Maegawa, 79, from Nara Prefecture, shows his breeding pair of small shamo after they won a beauty contest for native Japanese chicken breeds in Kochi, western Japan, on March 20, 2016. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arita porcelain fountain pens developed

Keizo Ishikawa, president of Saga Cardboard Firm, holds Arita porcelain fountain pens in the town of Arita in Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Oct. 15, 2015. The pens were developed in collaboration with Sailor Pen Co., kilns Koransha Co. and Gen-emon Co., and the cardboard firm. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japan's Kagawa Pref. signs cooperation pact with Spain's Galicia

Governor Keizo Hamada of Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan, signs an agreement on cooperation with Premier Alberto Nunez Feijoo of Spain's Galicia autonomous region in Santiago de Compostela on Sept. 1, 2015. The accord calls for a bilateral partnership regarding Japan's bid to seek UNESCO World Cultural Heritage registration of its 88-temple pilgrimage route on the smallest main island of Shikoku that comprises Kagawa and three other prefectures. Santiago de Compostela, the final destination of a Christian pilgrimage route, is already listed on the World Heritage register. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

"Udon," olive oil from Kagawa showcased at Milan Expo Japan Pavilion

Visitors make "Sanuki udon" noodles from Shikoku Island's Kagawa Prefecture at the Japan Pavilion at the world expo in Milan on Aug. 29, 2015. Kagawa Gov. Keizo Hamada said, "Just like pasta in Italy, Sanuki udon is 'soul food' in Kagawa." (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japan-S. Korea joint declaration of 1998

South Korean President Kim Dae Jung (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi shake hands in Tokyo in October 1998 after signing a Japan-South Korea joint declaration. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Prosecutors question Obuchi over suspected political fund misuse

Undated photo shows Yuko Obuchi, who resigned as minister of economy, trade and industry in October 2014 to take responsibility for the alleged misuse of political funds. Prosecutors have questioned the daughter of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on a voluntary basis over the scandal, sources close to the matter said on April 27, 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Kagawa Gov. Hamada poses with AKB48 members

Kagawa Gov. Keizo Hamada (C) poses with members of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 in Takamatsu on March 30, 2015. The members at the event (from L) are Riona Hamamatsu, Yurina Gyoten, Kaoru Takaoka and Natsuki Hirose. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Obuchi to retain Diet seat

TAKASAKI, Japan - Scandal-hit former trade minister Yuko Obuchi, a candidate of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the lower house election, smiles during an interview in her electoral district in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture after securing victory in the election on the night of Dec. 14, 2014. Obuchi, the daughter of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, resigned from the Cabinet post in October less than two months after assuming it over dubious political funds reports. (Kyodo)

Prosecutors launch probe into ex-minister's funds irregularities

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows Kenichiro Orita, a former secretary to former trade and industry minister Yuko Obuchi. For decades, Orita served as a secretary to former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, and after his death in 2000, to his daughter, Yuko, who succeeded her father in representing a constituency in Gunma Prefecture in the House of Representatives. (Kyodo)

Industry minister Obuchi offers resignation

TOKYO, Japan - Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yuko Obuchi leaves the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 20, 2014, after submitting her resignation to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over a political funds scandal. Obuchi, daughter of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and a fifth-term House of Representatives member, joined the Abe government in the Sept. 3 Cabinet reshuffle. (Kyodo)

Industry minister Obuchi offers resignation

TOKYO, Japan - Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yuko Obuchi enters the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 20, 2014, to submit her resignation to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over a political funds scandal. Obuchi, daughter of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and a fifth-term House of Representatives member, joined the Abe government in the Sept. 3 Cabinet reshuffle. (Kyodo)

Abe reshuffles Cabinet to tighten grip on power

TOKYO, Japan - Yuko Obuchi (R) is attested as a Cabinet minister by Emperor Akihito (L) at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Sept. 3, 2014, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) looking on. Abe reshuffled his Cabinet earlier in the day and picked Obuchi, the second daughter of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, as economy, trade and industry minister. (Pool photo by Mainichi Shimbun)(Kyodo)

CORRECTED Japanese touch panel developers awarded French medal of

OSAKA, Japan - CORRECTING LEFT AND RIGHT INDICATION OF RECIPIENTS Keizo Wada (R) and Tadashi Shimizu (L), who jointly founded the Osaka-based touch panel maker Digital Electronics Corp., pose with Henri Lachmann, chairman of the supervisory board of Schneider Electric, in Osaka on Dec. 1, 2011. The French government on the same day bestowed the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor medals to Wada and Shimizu, who developed the industrial touch panel in 1988. Digital Electronics is an arm of France's Schneider Electric. (Kyodo)

LDP bigwig Aoki won't run in upper house election, may retire

MATSUE, Japan - Kazuhiko Aoki, the eldest son and secretary of veteran Liberal Democratic Party upper house member Mikio Aoki, speaks about his father's intention not to run in the House of Councillors election this summer due to poor health in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, on May 15, 2010. Regarded as an influential member of the upper house during the LDP's long rule, Mikio Aoki served as chief Cabinet secretary from 1999 to 2000 in the governments of prime ministers Keizo Obuchi and Yoshiro Mori. (Kyodo)

LDP bigwig Aoki won't run in upper house election, may retire

TOKYO, Japan - Veteran Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Mikio Aoki (file photo) has told executives of the main opposition party's Shimane prefectural chapter that he does not intend to run in the prefectural district of the House of Councillors election this summer due to poor health, a senior chapter member said on May 15, 2010. Regarded as an influential member of the upper house during the LDP's long rule, Aoki served as chief Cabinet secretary from 1999 to 2000 in the governments of prime ministers Keizo Obuchi and Yoshiro Mori. (Kyodo)

TBS to promote vice president Zaitsu to head of new holding firm

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. said on March 4 it will promote Executive Vice President Keizo Zaitsu (file photo) to president when the broadcaster becomes a holding company on April 1. Current President Hiroshi Inoue, 69, will become chairman of the new firm. (Kyodo)

Obuchi becomes youngest postwar minister

TOKYO, Japan - Yuko Obuchi, new state minister in charge of tackling the declining birthrate, arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Sept. 24. Obuchi, 34, the second daughter of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, is the youngest minister to be appointed in postwar Japan. (Kyodo)

Obuchi becomes youngest postwar minister

TOKYO, Japan - Yuko Obuchi, new state minister in charge of tackling the declining birthrate, speaks at a news conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Sept. 24. Obuchi, 34, the second daughter of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, is the youngest minister to be appointed in postwar Japan. (Kyodo)

Aeon, Maruetsu, Marubeni to tie up in product buying, distributi

TOKYO, Japan - (From L to R) Marubeni Corp. President Nobuo Katsumata, Maruetsu Inc. President Keizo Takahashi and Aeon Co. President Motoya Okada pose for a photo after announcing a tripartite business tie-up at a press conference in Tokyo on July 10. (Kyodo)

1936 feat of Korean marathoner Son Gi Jeong remembered

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Son Jong In (L), eldest son of the Korean winner of the 1936 Berlin Olympics marathon, Son Gi Jeong, and Keizo Yamada, the winner of the 1953 Boston Marathon, pose for a photo during a ceremony held on Aug. 9 in Yokohama to mark the 70th anniversary of Son's feat. Son, whose name is sometimes spelled Sohn Kee Chung, was forced to compete for the Japanese team during the Olympics because the Korean Peninsula was under Japanese occupation then. (Kyodo)

Japanese skiing pioneer Miura dies at 101

TOKYO, Japan - Well-known Japanese skiing pioneer Keizo Miura (file photo) died of multiple organ failure on Jan. 5 at a Tokyo hospital, his family said. He was 101. Miura skied down the Mont Blanc glacier in France in February 2003 at age 99 together with his eldest son Yuichiro, also known as an adventure skier, and his grandson Yuta. (Kyodo)

TBS to issue new shares, move seen as takeover defense

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. Managing Director Keizo Zaitsu (L) speaks as Executive Director Kenichiro Kidokoro looks on at a press conference in Tokyo on Aug. 31. Zaitsu said TBS will raise a total of about 28 billion yen in September by selling new and outstanding shares to Dentsu Inc. and three other companies to help finance new mobile phone and Internet-related businesses. The step is being regarded as a measure to increase friendly long-term shareholders and discourage a hostile takeover, since an investment fund led by financier Yoshiaki Murakami has reportedly acquired some TBS shares and is eyeing a management buyout. (Kyodo)

LDP lawmaker Obuchi marries TBS man

MAEBASHI, Japan - House of Representatives member Yuko Obuchi, daughter of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, smiles during a news conference in Maebashi on Dec. 10 after registering her marriage to Katsuaki Setoguchi, a former co-worker at Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc., at the Nakanojyo town office. (Kyodo)

Aeon set to acquire stake in Sunday

TOKYO, Japan - Aeon Co. President Motoya Okada (R) and Sunday President Keizo Tamura (L) give a joint press conference in Tokyo on Aug. 18. Okada said his company will soon acquire a 20% stake in Sunday, which operates 45 do-it-yourself stores in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Akita and Miyagi prefectures. (Kyodo)

Ex-NHK announcer and lawmaker Takahashi dies at 83

TOKYO, Japan - Keizo Takahashi, a former popular announcer at Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) and member of the House of Councillors, died April 11 of kidney failure at a hospital in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, his family said April 12. He was 83.

Ex-posts minister Noda to marry NCP lawmaker Tsuruho

TOKYO, Japan - Yosuke Tsuruho (L), a House of Coucillors lawmaker in the New Conservative Party, and Seiko Noda, former posts and telecommunications minister of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, pose for photographers in Tokyo on May 2 after announcing their engagement at a press conference. Noda, 40, became the youngest minister in postwar Japan at the age of 37 in the cabinet of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in 1998.

Koizumi's backer to keep low profile

TOKYO, Japan - Former health minister Junichiro Koizumi, one of four contenders in the April 24 Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, addresses a gathering of his supporters at the LDP headquarters April 18. Makiko Tanaka, an outspoken LDP lawmaker and Koizumi supporter, said she will avoid publicly speaking on his behalf following criticism of recent comments she made regarding the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi.

Suntory Vice President Saji to assume presidency

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows Nobutada Saji, vice president of Suntory Ltd., who will assume the presidency of the nation's largest whiskey maker March 27, replacing Shinichiro Torii. The appointment of Saji, 55, son of former Suntory Chairman Keizo Saji, will be officially approved at a board meeting slated for March 27.

2,000 trees planted in ceremony in Beijing suburb

BEIJING, China - Chinese schoolchildren plant trees in a ceremony on Oct. 8 to mark the start of a China-Japan tree-planting project that was the brainchild of the late Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. About 2,000 trees were planted in the ceremony near the Great Wall of China outside Beijing. The ceremony was attended by the three secretaries general of Japan's ruling coalition, members of a Diet members' league and about 1,300 schoolchildren.

Obuchi's daughter debuts as lawmaker

TOKYO, Japan - Yuko Obuchi, second daughter of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, points her name plate as she arrives at the Diet (parliament) July 4 to attend the first House of Representatives session following the June 25 general election. She was elected from her father's constituency in Gunma Prefecture.

Photo magazine chief defends use of Obuchi hospital photo

TOKYO, Japan - A former editor-in-chief of weekly photo magazine Friday, Haruyuki Kato, shows a photo he says is of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in a hospital bed using a respirator, at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on June 22. Obuchi's widow Chizuko has said the photo, which appeared in the June 2 issue of Friday, is not of her late husband. The issue went on sale five days after Obuchi died May 14

Gunma prefetural gov't holds funeral for ex-Premier Obuchi

MAEBASHI, Japan - The Gunma prefectural government holds a funeral service for former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi at Gunma Arena in his native prefecture of Gunma's Maebashi northwest of Tokyo on the morning of June 10. Obuchi died May 14 at the age of 62.

Japan, S. Pacific nations voice concern over Fiji, Solomons

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori 2nd from R) and representatives of 11 South Pacific nations, in Japan to attend the funeral for former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, hold talks at the government guesthouse in Tokyo on June 8. They voiced ''deep concern'' at the political turmoil in Fiji and the Solomon Islands, and called for the restoration of democracy in the two nations.

Clinton at Obuchi's funeral

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. President Bill Clinton is greeted by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on arrival at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo to attend the official funeral of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on June 8.

Clinton, Kim meet in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. President Bill Clinton (L) and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung shake hands at a Tokyo hotel on June 8. The two leaders met after attending the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in Tokyo earlier in the day.

Obuchi's ashes carried from funeral hall

TOKYO, Japan - The son of former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi carries his father's ashes at the end of the funeral service in Tokyo on June 8.