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'World's No. 1' coffee to be offered in Japan

MITO, Japan - This Nov. 25, 2009 photo shows Panama's Esmeralda Especial coffee beans, said to be the world's most expensive coffee, which Japanese cafe chain operator Saza Coffee Co., based in Ibaraki Prefecture, plans to offer for 1,200 yen per cup starting Dec. 2. Saza, which has paid $117.50 per pound for the coffee, 100 times the cost of average coffee beans, became the first company in Japan to buy the high-quality beans through an auction.

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Emperor, empress attend dinner at crown prince's residence

TOKYO, Japan - Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko arrive at the Togu Palace, the residence of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, in Tokyo on Nov. 25, 2009, to attend a dinner party to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the emperor's enthronement and the 50th wedding anniversary of the emperor and empress. A total of 46 current and former members of the imperial family attended the party hosted by the crown prince and crown princess.

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Japan storyteller entertains Cambodia students

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - ''Rakugo'' storyteller Katsura Utamaru performs a popular eel restaurant story, ''Shirouto Unagi,'' in Phnom Penh on Nov. 25, 2009. About 400 people including students learning Japanese listened to the comic monologue with English and Cambodian subtitles available, as part of a series of events for Japan-Mekong exchange year.

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Gov't plan to cut tech budget sparks criticism from scientists

TOKYO, Japan - (From L to R) Reona Esaki, the 1973 Nobel laureate in physics, Susumu Tonegawa, the 1987 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine, Shigefumi Mori, the 1990 winner of the Fields Medal, Ryoji Noyori, the 2001 Nobel laureate in chemistry, and Makoto Kobayashi, the 2008 Nobel laureate in physics, hold a joint news conference at the University of Tokyo in Tokyo on Nov. 25, 2009. They severely criticized a government body's recent instruction to slash science and technology-related budget allocations.

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Nobel winner Noyori raps drive to cut science budget

TOKYO, Japan - Nobel chemistry laureate Ryoji Noyori (2nd from R), speaks about a government working group's recommendation to cut the science and technology budget at a news conference in Tokyo on Nov. 25, 2009. Noyori said the recommendation lacks insight and will leave Japan trailing behind in scientific fields.

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Abe re-signs with Yomiuri

TOKYO, Japan - Japan Series MVP catcher Shinnosuke Abe smiles during a press conference in Tokyo on Nov. 25, 2009, after re-signing with the Central League baseball club Yomiuri Giants. Abe, who decided earlier this month to stay with the Giants and not to file for free agency, will earn an estimated 350 million yen next year, 80 million yen more than last season.

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Int'l meeting stresses Japan's key role in Afghan peace process

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada (L) and Masoom Stanekzai, an adviser to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, shake hands at a Tokyo international meeting on peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan on Nov. 25, 2009.

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Agile robot helps keep office neat and tidy

TOKYO, Japan - This undated photo shows an office cleaning robot that Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. and Sumitomo Corp. unveiled as a joint product on Nov. 25, 2009. The companies will try to put the 95-kilogram robot, capable of making small turns between the legs of desks and chairs, into practical use in one year, with a price tag of 3-4 million yen.

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Tokyo Tower sends anti-DV message

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Tower is lit up in purple on Nov. 25, 2009, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Alternating colors of pink and blue were lit to symbolize the purple ribbon for the anti-domestic violence movement.

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6 of Japan's top 9 life insurers report revenue increases

TOKYO, Japan - Yoshinobu Tsutsui, senior managing director of Nippon Life Insurance Co., briefs reporters on the company's financial results for the April-September period at a news conference in Tokyo on Nov. 25, 2009.

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Funds from mother likely a source of false donation reports

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama speaks to reporters about alleged false political donations reports at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Nov. 25, 2009.

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Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu beats Baruto at Kyushu sumo

FUKUOKA, Japan - Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu (L) forces sekiwake Baruto of Estonia out of the ring on the 11th day of the 15-day Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at Fukuoka Kokusai Center in Fukuoka on Nov. 25, 2009.

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Tokyo Tower sends anti-DV message

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Tower is lit up in purple on Nov. 25, 2009, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Alternating colors of pink and blue were lit to symbolize the purple ribbon for the anti-domestic violence movement.

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Asashoryu beats Kaio

FUKUOKA, Japan - Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu (L) pushes ozeki Kaio out of the ring on the 11th day of the 15-day Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at Fukuoka Kokusai Center in Fukuoka on Nov. 25, 2009. The yokozuna remains unbeaten.

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Mother of boy born by surrogacy calls it 'dream come true'

TOKYO, Japan - A 27-year-old woman (L), whose name is being withheld, and her 53-year-old mother who gave birth to a boy for her daughter, attend a press conference in Tokyo on Nov. 25, 2009. In September last year, a fertile egg of the daughter, who had a tumor in her womb removed when she was 16 months old, was implanted into her mother and the boy was born in May.

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Astronaut Wakata receives prime minister's award

TOKYO, Japan - This undated file photo shows astronaut Koichi Wakata who received the prime minister's award Nov. 25, 2009, for his contribution to the completion of Japan's first manned space laboratory Kibo at the International Space Station during a 138-day cosmic trip.

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Astronaut Wakata receives prime minister's award

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (R) chats with astronaut Koichi Wakata at the premier's office on Nov. 25, 2009, after presenting him with the prime minister's award for his contribution to the completion of the country's first manned laboratory Kibo at the International Space Station. Wakata returned from a 138-day cosmic trip in July.

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Astronaut Wakata receives prime minister's award

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (R) and astronaut Koichi Wakata hold a plaque of the prime minister's award at the premier's office on Nov. 25, 2009. Wakata contributed to the completion of Japan's first manned laboratory Kibo at the International Space Station during a 138-day cosmic trip.

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Kabuki actor nameplates displayed at Kyoto theater

KYOTO, Japan - A total of 60 nameplates of Kabuki actors are displayed at the front of the Minamiza theater in Kyoto's Higashiyama Ward on Nov. 25, 2009, to prepare for nearly a month-long year-end performance starting Nov. 30.

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Deputy PM Kan talks of budgetary waste-cutting work

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan speaks to reporters after viewing the waste-cutting panel's session to discuss targeted projects in budget requests for fiscal 2010 in Tokyo on Nov. 25, 2009. The panel recommended two anti-global warming programs be scrapped on the seventh day of its nine-day schedule.

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Budgetary waste-cutting work under way

TOKYO, Japan - Members of a key waste-cutting panel discuss targeted projects in budget requests for fiscal 2010 in Tokyo on Nov. 25, 2009. The panel recommended two anti-global warming programs be scrapped on the seventh day of its nine-day schedule.