Paris Olympics: Football

Paris Olympics: Football

Japan's Shunsuke Mito (back, bottom) reacts after scoring the team's second goal with a header in the second half of a Paris Olympic men's football group D match against Paraguay at Bordeaux Stadium in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on July 24, 2024.

Paris Olympics: Football

Paris Olympics: Football

Japan's Shunsuke Mito (3rd from R) scores the team's second goal with a header in the second half of a Paris Olympic men's football group D match against Paraguay at Bordeaux Stadium in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on July 24, 2024.

Paris Olympics: Football

Paris Olympics: Football

Japan's Shunsuke Mito (R) opens the scoring in the first half of a Paris Olympic men's football group D match against Paraguay at Bordeaux Stadium in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on July 24, 2024.

Paris Olympics: Football

Paris Olympics: Football

Japan's Shunsuke Mito (L) celebrates after opening the scoring in the first half of a Paris Olympic men's football group D match against Paraguay at Bordeaux Stadium in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on July 24, 2024.

Paris Olympics: Football

Paris Olympics: Football

Japan's Shunsuke Mito (C) is congratulated by teammates after opening the scoring in the first half of a Paris Olympic men's football group D match against Paraguay at Bordeaux Stadium in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on July 24, 2024.

Paris Olympics: Football

Paris Olympics: Football

Japan's Shunsuke Mito (R) celebrates after opening the scoring in the first half of a Paris Olympic men's football group D match against Paraguay at Bordeaux Stadium in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on July 24, 2024.

Japan crown prince at meeting of botanical park association

Japan crown prince at meeting of botanical park association

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito speaks during a meeting of the Japan Association of Botanical Gardens in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on May 23, 2024. (Pool photo)

Japan crown prince visits botanical park

Japan crown prince visits botanical park

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito (C) visits Mito Botanical Park in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on May 23, 2024. (Pool photo)

Japan crown prince visits botanical park

Japan crown prince visits botanical park

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito (C) visits Mito Botanical Park in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on May 23, 2024. (Pool photo)

Athletics: Mito Invitational championships

Athletics: Mito Invitational championships

Reigning world champion Haruka Kitaguchi competes en route to winning gold in the women's javelin throw event at the Mito Invitational national athletics championships on May 5, 2024, in Mito, eastern Japan.

Athletics: Mito Invitational championships

Athletics: Mito Invitational championships

Reigning world champion Haruka Kitaguchi competes en route to winning gold in the women's javelin throw event at the Mito Invitational national athletics championships on May 5, 2024, in Mito, eastern Japan.

Athletics: Mito Invitational championships

Athletics: Mito Invitational championships

Reigning world champion Haruka Kitaguchi competes en route to winning gold in the women's javelin throw event at the Mito Invitational national athletics championships on May 5, 2024, in Mito, eastern Japan.

Athletics: Mito Invitational championships

Athletics: Mito Invitational championships

Reigning world champion Haruka Kitaguchi competes en route to winning gold in the women's javelin throw event at the Mito Invitational national athletics championships on May 5, 2024, in Mito, eastern Japan.

Athletics: Mito Invitational championships

Athletics: Mito Invitational championships

Reigning world champion Haruka Kitaguchi competes en route to winning gold in the women's javelin throw event at the Mito Invitational national athletics championships on May 5, 2024, in Mito, eastern Japan.

Japanese apricot blossoms in eastern Japan

Japanese apricot blossoms in eastern Japan

Japanese apricot blossoms are in full bloom on March 1, 2024, at Kairakuen -- known as one of the three greatest gardens in Japan -- in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan.

Meeting of G7 interior, security ministers

Meeting of G7 interior, security ministers

Interior and security ministers from the Group of Seven advanced countries take part in a photo session during the second day of a three-day meeting held in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2023.

Meeting of G7 interior, security ministers

Meeting of G7 interior, security ministers

Interior and security ministers from the Group of Seven advanced countries take part in a photo session during the second day of a three-day meeting held in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2023.

Meeting of G7 interior, security ministers

Meeting of G7 interior, security ministers

Interior and security ministers from the Group of Seven advanced countries begin the second day of a session held in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2023.

Meeting of G7 interior, security ministers

Meeting of G7 interior, security ministers

Interior and security ministers from the Group of Seven advanced countries begin the second day of a session held in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2023.

Football: J League awards ceremony

Football: J League awards ceremony

Albirex Niigata's 21-year-old winger Shunsuke Mito poses at the J-League awards ceremony in Yokohama on Dec. 5, 2023, after being named the Best Young Player in the Japanese top flight this season.

Japanese crown prince, crown princess

Japanese crown prince, crown princess

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko applaud during a ceremony for the national arbor festival in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Nov. 12, 2023. (Pool photo)

Football: Japan vs. U.S. U-22 friendly

Football: Japan vs. U.S. U-22 friendly

Japan's Shunsuke Mito (14) vies for the ball in the second half of an under-22 friendly football match against the United States in Phoenix, Arizona, on Oct. 17, 2023.

Japanese Princess Kako in Ibaraki Prefecture

Japanese Princess Kako in Ibaraki Prefecture

Japanese Princess Kako (R) meets with students at a school for the hearing-impaired in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on March 16, 2023. (Pool photo)

Japanese Princess Kako in Ibaraki Prefecture

Japanese Princess Kako in Ibaraki Prefecture

Japanese Princess Kako (R) visits the Kairakuen garden in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on March 16, 2023. (Pool photo)

Japanese Princess Kako in Ibaraki Prefecture

Japanese Princess Kako in Ibaraki Prefecture

Japanese Princess Kako (front L) communicates in sign language with students at a school for the hearing-impaired in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on March 16, 2023. (Pool photo)

Pritzker prize-winning Japanese architect Arata Isozaki

Pritzker prize-winning Japanese architect Arata Isozaki

File photo taken in July 2009 shows Art Tower Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. The 2019 Pritzker laureate died on Dec. 28, 2022, aged 91.

Tougher penalties for road rage incidents

Tougher penalties for road rage incidents

MITO, Japan, June 30 Kyodo - Police officers line up in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, before a shift on June 30, 2020, as a law to impose tougher penalties for road rage incidents took effect in Japan the same day.

Mito Kakizawa

Mito Kakizawa

Mito Kakizawa, a member of the House of Representatives, secretary general of the Japan Restoration Party (photo taken on July 14, 2015)

Britons exhibit photos to show life, people in Fukushima town

Britons exhibit photos to show life, people in Fukushima town

MITO, Japan, May 21 Kyodo - Anthony Ballard from Britain points to one of the photos at an exhibition jointly held in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on May 16, 2015, by him and compatriot Phillip Jellyman to show life and people in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, still off-limits due to the 2011 nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The two Britons are English teachers at one of the town's junior high schools.

Contestants gulp 'natto' beans at speed-eating competition

Contestants gulp 'natto' beans at speed-eating competition

MITO, Japan, March 4 Kyodo - Contestants gulp "natto" fermented sticky beans on rice at a speed-eating world competition in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Feb. 28, 2015.

Flying robot tested to probe tunnel hit by accident

Flying robot tested to probe tunnel hit by accident

MITO, Japan - A remote-controlled robot flies above barriers inside an experimental tunnel of the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, during a demonstration shown to the press on Jan. 8, 2015.

RC robot tested to probe tunnel accident

RC robot tested to probe tunnel accident

MITO, Japan - A remote-controlled robot climbs over obstacles inside an experimental tunnel of the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, during a demonstration shown to the press on Jan. 8, 2015.

Hauho conducts ring-entering rite for sumo legend

Hauho conducts ring-entering rite for sumo legend

TOKYO, Japan - Yokozuna Hakuho performs a ring-entering ceremony in front of the statue of the late grand champion Hitachiyama in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Dec. 20, 2014, to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the sumo legend's birth.

Ibaraki Univ. permits access to 10 local newspapers

Ibaraki Univ. permits access to 10 local newspapers

MITO, Japan - Takashi Otabe (L), president of Ibaraki Shimbun Co., and Nobuo Mimura, president of Ibaraki University, pose in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Dec. 17, 2014, at a ceremony announcing the creation of a section in the university's library to give visitors access to 10 selected local newspapers in Japan.

Oarai Anglerfish Festival draws large crowd

Oarai Anglerfish Festival draws large crowd

MITO, Japan - A local cook demonstrates how to cut an anglerfish while the fish is hung up on a triangular stand in front of a large crowd during the Oarai Anglerfish Festival in the town of Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Nov. 16, 2014.

People enjoy cooked anglerfish at festival

People enjoy cooked anglerfish at festival

MITO, Japan - People eat meals made from anglerfish at the Oarai Anglerfish Festival in the town of Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Nov. 16, 2014.

Nuke regulator inspects decommissioned Tokai power plant

Nuke regulator inspects decommissioned Tokai power plant

MITO, Japan - Satoru Tanaka (R), a commissioner of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, inspects a facility at Japan Atomic Power Co.'s nuclear power plant in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Oct. 21, 2014. The Tokai plant is the first commercial nuclear reactor to be decommissioned in Japan.

Nuke regulator inspects decommissioned Tokai power plant

Nuke regulator inspects decommissioned Tokai power plant

MITO, Japan - Satoru Tanaka (L), a commissioner of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, inspects a central control room at Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tokai nuclear power plant in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Oct. 21, 2014. The Tokai plant is the first commercial nuclear reactor to be decommissioned in Japan.

New material for cornea grafting made from swine collagen

New material for cornea grafting made from swine collagen

MITO, Japan - A staff member at the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences in Tsukuba, northeast of Tokyo, checks a new material made from swine collagen to be used for cornea grafting on Sept. 19, 2014, in the Ibaraki Prefecture city.

Colorful boats sail in Kashima Shrine's festival

Colorful boats sail in Kashima Shrine's festival

MITO, Japan - A flotilla of colorful boats sail out in a river on Sept. 2, 2014, to celebrate the "Mifune Matsuri," a festival that has been held since about 1,700 years ago in the Year of the Horse. The festival is held by the Kashima shrine in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan.

4 Kanto cities to support each other in disasters

4 Kanto cities to support each other in disasters

MITO, Japan - Utsunomiya Mayor Eiichi Sato, Mito Mayor Yasushi Takahashi, Maebashi Mayor Ryu Yamamoto and Takasaki Mayor Kenji Tomioka (from L) pose for photos at the city hall in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Aug. 21, 2014, after signing an agreement on mutual support in times of disaster.

Watertight door built at Tokai nuke plant to prevent tsunami

Watertight door built at Tokai nuke plant to prevent tsunami

MITO, Japan - A watertight door designed to prevent the inflow of tsunami water is shown to media on June 18, 2014, inside a nuclear reactor building at the Tokai No. 2 atomic power plant in the Pacific coast village of Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan.

Crisis management office at Tokai power station unveiled

Crisis management office at Tokai power station unveiled

MITO, Japan - Japan Atomic Power Co. opens a crisis management office of the Tokai No.2 Power Station to the press in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on June 18, 2014.

Safety checks on Tokai No.2 Power Station under way

Safety checks on Tokai No.2 Power Station under way

MITO, Japan - Japan Atomic Power Co. unveils a safety shield of an emergency diesel generator designed to prevent tsunami water from immersing at the Tokai No.2 Power Station in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on June 18, 2014.

People visit repaired Kodokan school of Mito clan

People visit repaired Kodokan school of Mito clan

MITO, Japan - People visit the repaired Kodokan, the Mito clan's school for the feudal domains in the 19th century that was damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, on March 27. 2014. The school, opened in 1841, was closed in 1872.

Mito clan's Kodokan school repaired

Mito clan's Kodokan school repaired

MITO, Japan - Ibaraki Governor Masaru Hashimoto speaks during a ceremony in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, on March 27, 2014, to commemorate the repair of the Kodokan, the Mito clan's school for the feudal domains in the 19th century that was damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. The school, opened in 1841, was closed in 1872.

'Natto' speed-eating contest in Mito

'Natto' speed-eating contest in Mito

MITO, Japan - A participant eats a bowl of "natto" fermented soybeans during an annual natto speed-eating contest in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, on March 22, 2014. The eastern Japan city is a famous producer of the fermented beans.

Japan Atomic Power explains moves on Tokai No. 2 plant

Japan Atomic Power explains moves on Tokai No. 2 plant

MITO, Japan - Japan Atomic Power Co. holds a meeting in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture on March 17, 2014 to explain to nearby municipal governments about its application with the Nuclear Regulation Authority for a safety review of the Tokai No. 2 Power Station.

Vietnamese president in Japan

Vietnamese president in Japan

MITO, Japan - Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang (3rd from L) and his wife Mai Thi Hanh (3rd from R) meet Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on March 17, 2014. (Pool photo)

Vietnamese president in Japan

Vietnamese president in Japan

MITO, Japan - Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang (3rd from R in front) and his wife Mai Thi Hanh (L in back) head to a meeting with Japanese Emperor Akihito (R) and Empress Michiko (R in back) at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on March 17, 2014. (Pool photo)