Japan Empress Masako at Red Cross event

Japan Empress Masako at Red Cross event

Japanese Empress Masako (L) attends a Japanese Red Cross Society event in Tokyo on May 12, 2026, along with other members of the imperial family. (Pool photo)

Japan Empress Masako at Red Cross event

Japan Empress Masako at Red Cross event

Japanese Empress Masako attends a Japanese Red Cross Society event in Tokyo on May 12, 2026. (Pool photo)

Antarctic Treaty meeting in Hiroshima

Antarctic Treaty meeting in Hiroshima

Ambassador Hideki Uyama (R), from Japan's Foreign Ministry, meets the press in Hiroshima on May 12, 2026, after the opening ceremony of the 48th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in the western Japan city. The closed meeting, running through May 21, will discuss the peaceful use and environmental protection of Antarctica, with about 30 member countries taking part.

Japan finance minister meets with U.S. treasury secretary

Japan finance minister meets with U.S. treasury secretary

Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama speaks at a press conference at the ministry on May 12, 2026, after holding talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo.

Japan finance minister meets with U.S. treasury secretary

Japan finance minister meets with U.S. treasury secretary

Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama speaks at a press conference at the ministry on May 12, 2026, after holding talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo.

Japan finance minister meets with U.S. treasury secretary

Japan finance minister meets with U.S. treasury secretary

Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama speaks at a press conference at the ministry on May 12, 2026, after holding talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo.

Antarctic Treaty meeting in Hiroshima

Antarctic Treaty meeting in Hiroshima

The opening ceremony of the 48th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting is held in Hiroshima on May 12, 2026. The closed meeting, running through May 21, will discuss the peaceful use and environmental protection of Antarctica, with about 30 member countries taking part.

Antarctic Treaty meeting in Hiroshima

Antarctic Treaty meeting in Hiroshima

The opening ceremony of the 48th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting is held in Hiroshima on May 12, 2026. The closed meeting, running through May 21, will discuss the peaceful use and environmental protection of Antarctica, with about 30 member countries taking part.

Former Chinese defense ministers sentenced to death over graft

Former Chinese defense ministers sentenced to death over graft

Photo taken on March 12, 2023, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing shows former Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu (back) watching Chinese President Xi Jinping leave the venue after a session of the National People's Congress. Former Chinese defense ministers Li and Wei Fenghe were sentenced to death by a military court over graft charges on May 7, 2026.

Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine interim hall

Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine interim hall

Dazaifu Tenmangu, a Shinto shrine with a history of more than 1,100 years, in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan, unveils on May 12, 2023, a temporary hall built ahead of the first renovation of its main hall in 124 years slated to start in late May. The temporary hall designed by Japanese architect Sosuke Fujimoto will be used until the completion of the main hall in 2026.

Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine interim hall

Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine interim hall

Dazaifu Tenmangu, a Shinto shrine with a history of more than 1,100 years, in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan, unveils on May 12, 2023, a temporary hall built ahead of the first renovation of its main hall in 124 years slated to start in late May. The temporary hall designed by Japanese architect Sosuke Fujimoto will be used until the completion of the main hall in 2026.