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

New "Dragon Quest" title hits Japanese market

TOKYO, Japan - Yuji Horii (L), the creator of "Dragon Quest," hands a new software title in the popular game series to Kensuke Matayoshi, a 33-year-old part-time employee who became the first person to purchase the game at the Tsutaya movie and music rental shop in Tokyo's Shibuya district, on Aug. 2, 2012, its launch day, after waiting outside the shop from the previous day. Japanese game developer Square Enix Co. launched "Dragon Quest 10 -- Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku (five awakened tribes) Online" for Nintendo Co.'s Wii home game console.

E

U.S. report for Osprey deployment plan

NAHA, Japan - A Japanese Defense Ministry official (R) shows Susumu Matayoshi, a senior Okinawa prefectural official, an environmental review conducted by the United States in preparation for the planned deployment at a U.S. base in Okinawa of MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft, at the prefectural government building on June 13, 2012.

E

Comedian, award-winning novelist Matayoshi to become newscaster

Undated photo shows Japanese comedian and novelist Naoki Matayoshi, who won the Akutagawa Prize, a prestigious literature award, in 2015. Nippon Television Network Corp. announced on March 4, 2016, that Matayoshi, 35, will appear as a caster in its "News Zero" show on a once-a-month basis. His first appearance is expected to be on April 28. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Japan's publication sales post largest drop in 2015

Photo taken Jan. 22, 2016, at Kyodo News in Tokyo shows some of Japan's bestseller novels in 2015; (from L) "Saraba!" by Kanako Nishi, "Hibana" by Naoki Matayoshi and "Ryu" by Akira Higashiyama. A research institute said Jan. 25 that sales of books and magazines in Japan for 2015 fell 5.3 percent from the previous year to an estimated 1.5 trillion yen ($12.6 billion), marking the largest drop on record and the 11th year of decline. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Dolls depicting year's newsmakers shown in Tokyo

Photo taken Nov. 26, 2015, in Tokyo shows five sets of unique "hina" dolls featuring newsmakers of the year. They include Naoki Matayoshi, a comedian who won the prestigious Akutagawa literary prize, and Princess Kako, who entered International Christian University in April. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Dolls depicting year's newsmakers shown in Tokyo

Photo taken Nov. 26, 2015, in Tokyo shows five sets of unique "hina" dolls featuring newsmakers of the year. They include Naoki Matayoshi, a comedian who won the prestigious Akutagawa literary prize, and Princess Kako, who entered International Christian University in April. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Comedian's award-winning novel to be screened

File photo taken in July 2015 shows comedian Naoki Matayoshi holding his Akutagawa Prize-winning book "Hibana" (Spark) in Tokyo. A major agency to deliver video across the Internet said Aug. 28, 2015, it will dramatize the novel and deliver it next year. Details, including the cast, have not yet been decided. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Comedian Matayoshi receives award for coveted literary prize

Comedian Naoki Matayoshi (L) receives an award as one of two winners of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for up-and-coming authors at a Tokyo hotel on Aug.21, 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Winners of prestigious literary prizes pose at ceremony

Naoki Matayoshi (C) and Keisuke Hada (R), winners of the Akutagawa Prize for up-and-coming authors, strike a pose with Akira Higashiyama, winner of the Naoki Prize for popular fiction, during an award presentation ceremony at a Tokyo hotel on Aug. 21, 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Coffee drinks carrying essays by comedian-author being sold in Japan

Naoki Matayoshi, part of the comic duo Peace, holds a coffee drink in a plastic bottle bearing a short essay by him during a publicity event in Tokyo on July 23, 2015. Ajinomoto General Foods Inc. put on sale the same day sets of coffee drinks carrying short essays by Matayoshi who recently won a prestigious literature award. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Publisher to print 1 mil. copies of Akutagawa Prize-winning "Hibana"

A bookstore in Osaka displays the novel "Hibana" (Spark), written by comedian Naoki Matayoshi, on July 17, 2015, a day after it won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Prize- winning novel by comedian Matayoshi to top 1 million copies

The novel "Hibana" (Spark) is piled up at a bookstore in Tokyo on July 17, 2015, as the author, Naoki Matayoshi, won the prestigious Akutagawa literary prize the previous day. His publisher has decided to reprint the novel to take the total publication to more than one million copies. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Winners of Akutagawa, Naoki literary awards announced

(From L to R) Akira Higashiyama, winner of the Naoki Prize, a literary award for popular fiction, and Naoki Matayoshi and Keisuke Hada, recipients of the Akutagawa Prize, a literary award for up-and-coming novelists, pose for photos at a hotel in Tokyo on July 16, 2015. Matayoshi, a popular 35-year-old comedian, won the award for his debut novel "Hibana" (Sparks), which already has sold about 640,000 copies. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Comedian Matayoshi bags Akutagawa literary award

Comedian Naoki Matayoshi speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on July 16, 2015, after winning the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for up-and-coming authors. His nomination, for a book titled "Hibana" (Spark), grabbed attention as it is rare for a popular entertainer to be recommended for the literature award. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Comedian Matayoshi bags Akutagawa literary award

Comedian Naoki Matayoshi throws up a deuce in Tokyo on July 16, 2015, after winning the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for up-and-coming authors. His nomination, for a book titled "Hibana" (Spark), grabbed attention as it is rare for a popular entertainer to be recommended for the literature award. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Akutagawa Prize-nominated comedian attends press conference

Naoki Matayoshi, a popular Japanese comedian and nominee for a prestigious literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, attends a press conference in Kyoto on July 13, 2015, wearing kimono to look like a literary legend in modern Japan. He said prior to the screening committee on July 16 that it is an honor for him to be nominated. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Akutagawa Prize-nominated comedian attends press conference

Naoki Matayoshi, a popular Japanese comedian and nominee for a prestigious literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, attends a press conference in Kyoto on July 13, 2015, wearing kimono to look like a literary legend in modern Japan. He said prior to the screening committee on July 16 that it is an honor for him to be nominated. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Ex-Okinawa official appointed Foreign Ministry adviser on base issue

Undated photo shows former Okinawa prefectural government official Susumu Matayoshi, who has been appointed by the Foreign Ministry as an adviser to help deal with the contentious relocation of a key U.S. military base in Okinawa. He headed the Okinawa governor's office under former Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, who lost to current Gov. Takeshi Onaga in last November's election after endorsing the Japan-U.S. relocation plan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Okinawan families pay tribute to victims of 1947 massacre in Taiwan

Matayoshi Seikiyo, a professor of Okinawa University, and victims' families prepare to pay their respects to those who lost their lives during the "228 Incident," a brutal military crackdown by Nationalist Party (KMT) troops on civilian protestors in 1947 that initiated what historians now call the "White Terror Era." Framed pictures on the table are victims (from L) Kane Ishisoko, Minoru Nakatake, Esaki Aoyama and Ohnaga Genchu. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Books outsell magazines at major wholesaler for 1st time in 32 yrs

Photo taken Jan. 22, 2016, in Tokyo shows some of Japan's bestseller novels in 2015. Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc., a major Japanese wholesale bookseller, has said its unconsolidated book sales in fiscal 2015 through March 2016 grew slightly from the previous year to 247.6 billion yen ($2.42 billion), exceeding magazine sales for the first time in 32 years. The solid book sales were attributed to a number of hit novels including Akutagawa Prize-winning "Hibana" (Spark, C) by comedian Naoki Matayoshi. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Books outsell magazines at major wholesaler for 1st time in 32 yrs

File photo shows comedian Naoki Matayoshi posing with his Akutagawa Prize-winning book "Hibana" (Spark). Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc., a major Japanese wholesale bookseller, has said its unconsolidated book sales in fiscal 2015 through March 2016 grew slightly from the previous year to 247.6 billion yen ($2.42 billion), exceeding magazine sales for the first time in 32 years. The solid book sales were attributed to a number of hit novels including "Hibana." (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Japanese fashion industry group names "Best Dresser" awardees

Photo taken at a hotel in Tokyo on Nov. 25, 2015, shows five recipients of this year's Best Dresser awards given by the Men's Fashion Unity industry group -- (from L) Naomichi Suzuki, mayor of Hokkaido's Yubari city; Hideo Sawada, chairman of travel agency H.I.S. Co.; comedian and Akutagawa literary award winner Naoki Matayoshi; actress Yo Yoshida; and actor Tori Matsuzaka. Another awardee, Charlotte Kate Fox, an American actress who won popularity after playing a heroine in a TV serial drama, was absent due to poor health. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Prize-winning comedian promotes half-priced Osaka tour plans

Comedian Naoki Matayoshi (2nd from R), a native of Osaka who recently won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, attends a press conference at the Osaka prefectural government office on Aug. 25, 2015, to promote a tourism campaign offering travel plans in the western Japanese prefecture for half their regular prices from Sept. 1 through Jan. 31 using subsidies. The event was also attended by Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui (far R). (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Baseball: Matayoshi pitches Dragons to win over Carp

Katsuki Matayoshi of the Chunichi Dragons pitches against the Hiroshima Carp at Nagoya Dome on May 20, 2017. Matayoshi picked up his third win in the Dragons' 2-1 victory after allowing one run in seven innings. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

E

Copies of prize-winning novel "Hibana" to top 2 mil.

Photo shows Japanese comedian Naoki Matayoshi. Publisher Bungeishunju Ltd. said Aug. 4, 2015, it will print 400,000 more copies of Matayoshi's novel "Hibana" (Spark), bringing the total number of copies above the 2 million mark amid robust sales after it won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in the previous month. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo