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Distilling shochu spirit in Hawaii

HAWAII, United States - Ken Hirata's third batch of "Namihana" shochu, made in the spring of 2014 and released in September that year, is 82 percent Big Island and North Shore sweet potatoes and 18 percent black koji. Photo was taken in Hawaii on Nov. 3, 2014.

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Japan's average gasoline price falls to 1-year low

TOKYO, Japan - A display at a gas station in Tokyo shows regular gasoline priced at 147 yen per liter on Dec. 3, 2014. The retail price of regular gasoline in Japan had dropped 20 weeks in a row to the lowest level in one year, the government's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy said the same day, with the average price dropping 0.90 yen from Nov. 25 to 157.40 yen per liter as of Dec. 1, its lowest level since Dec. 2, 2013.

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Japan launches Hayabusa2 space probe

TANEGASHIMA, Japan - A crowd watches the launch of an H-2A rocket carrying the Hayabusa2 asteroid explorer at 1:22 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2014, near the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan. The liftoff originally slated for Nov. 30 was delayed twice due to adverse weather conditions.

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Taiwan president steps down as party boss

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou announces in Taipei on Dec. 3, 2014, that he is stepping down as chairman of Nationalist Party following the party's resounding defeat in the nationwide local elections Nov. 29.

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Japan launches Hayabusa2 space probe

TANEGASHIMA, Japan - A crowd observes the launch of an H-2A rocket carrying the Hayabusa2 asteroid explorer on Dec. 3, 2014, near the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan. The liftoff originally slated for Nov. 30 was delayed twice due to adverse weather conditions.

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30 years on and 1984 gas tragedy continues to rile India's Bhopal

BHOPAL, India - Photo taken Nov. 18, 2014, shows the remains of a Union Carbide Corp. pesticide plant in Bhopal, central India, which leaked deadly methyl-isocynate gas and other chemicals that turned into a dense toxic cloud hovering over the region on the night of Dec. 2-3, 1984, killing thousands of people and leaving tens of thousands more suffering from aftereffects of chemical poisoning.

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Fossil preservation, researcher training necessary in Mongolia

BEIJING, China - Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar, director of the Mongolian Academy of Science's Paleontological Laboratory, speaks during an interview with Kyodo News on Nov. 3, 2014. Amid a recent boom in dinosaur fossil excavation in the country, Tsogtbaatar stressed the need to improve preservation procedures as well as training for young researchers.

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Olive oil sommelier class for Japanese held in Rome

ROME, Italy - Japanese women taste different kinds of olive oil during a class to train sommeliers held for them in Rome on Nov. 3, 2014.

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Abe, Xi to hold 1st summit talks

BEIJING, China - Photo taken in Beijing on Nov. 3, 2014, shows Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and State Councilor Yang Jiechi. A Japanese government source said Nov. 7, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold his first talks with Xi on the sidelines of a gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders early in the following week.

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Drag singer Wurst, U.N. chief Ban stand on stage

VIENNA, Austria - Conchita Wurst, a bearded Austrian drag singer fighting for sexual diversity and tolerance, and Ban Ki Moon, secretary general of the United Nations, share a stage at a U.N. facility in Vienna, Austria, on Nov. 3, 2014.

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Japan, U.S. bilateral talks over automotive trade

WASHINGTON, United States - Takeo Mori (L), Japanese ambassador in charge of economic diplomacy, and Wendy Cutler, acting deputy U.S. trade representative, shake hands in Washington, the United States, on Nov. 3, 2014, prior to their talks over the issue of automotive trade, in which they failed to reach a major agreement. (Pool photo)

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IAEA chief urges int'l safety norms for closing nuke plants

NEW YORK, United States - Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, calls for studies to lay down international safety standards for decommissioning nuclear power plants during an interview at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Nov. 3, 2014.

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Drag singer urges end to discrimination against gays

VIENNA, Austria - Conchita Wurst, a bearded Austrian drag singer, performs on stage at a United Nations facility in Vienna on Nov. 3, 2014, to call for an end to discrimination against homosexuals.

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China seeks Indonesia's support for maritime initiative

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 3, 2014. China sought Indonesia's support ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Beijing for creating a regional maritime connectivity initiative stretching along the Silk Road by the end of 2015.

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Planned restart of nuclear power plant in Kagoshima

SATSUMASENDAI, Japan - Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoichi Miyazawa (R) shakes hands with Kagoshima Gov. Yuichiro Ito ahead of their talks at the prefectural government offices on Nov. 3, 2014, on the central government's plan to restart the Sendai nuclear power plant in the southwestern Japan prefecture.

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Planned restart of nuclear power plant in Kagoshima

SATSUMASENDAI, Japan - Photo shows Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s nuclear power plant in the city of Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Nov. 3, 2014. The same day, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoichi Miyazawa visited the complex, which is expected to be the first nuclear plant to be brought back online under new safety regulations adopted after the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

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Planned restart of nuclear power plant in Kagoshima

SATSUMASENDAI, Japan - People rally against the planned restart of the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture on Nov. 3, 2014, outside the prefectural government offices. The same day, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoichi Miyazawa held talks with Kagoshima Gov. Yuichiro Ito at the prefectural government offices on the central government's plan to restart the Sendai nuclear plant in the southwestern Japan prefecture.

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Planned restart of nuclear power plant in Kagoshima

SATSUMASENDAI, Japan - Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoichi Miyazawa (far R) talks to Kyushu Electric Power Co. workers at the utility's nuclear power plant in the city of Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Nov. 3, 2014.

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Families demand S. Korean gov't pay over WWII

SEOUL, South Korea - Family members of former Korean civilians who were mobilized to work for the now-defunct Japanese military gather before Seoul's government buildings on Nov. 3, 2014, demanding the government pay them compensation out of the money Japan paid based on the 1965 Japan-South Korea property and claims agreement.

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Planned restart of nuclear power plant in Kagoshima

SATSUMASENDAI, Japan - Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoichi Miyazawa (R front) holds talks with Kagoshima Gov. Yuichiro Ito (L front) at the prefectural government offices on Nov. 3, 2014, on the central government's plan to restart the Sendai nuclear power plant in the southwestern Japan prefecture.

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Gunma-chan wins local mascot contest

TOKONAME, Japan - Gunma prefectural mascot Gunma-chan is declared the winner of an annual local mascot popularity contest, at an event to announce the results in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, on Nov. 3, 2014.

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Barbers create hairstyle inspired by feudal lord's crest

SENDAI, Japan - Some 190 hairdressers put the finishing touches to create a "Sendai-gari" hairstyle during a community event in Sendai, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 3, 2014, in an effort to produce a new local trendy hairstyle modeled after the famous crescent crest on 17th-century Sendai feudal lord Date Masumune's "kabuto" helmet.

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Barbers cut hair in style inspired by feudal lord's crest

SENDAI, Japan - A boy gets a "Sendai-gari" hairstyle during a community event in Sendai, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 3, 2014, held to promote the new local hairstyle bearing impressions of a famous crescent crest on 17th-century Sendai feudal lord Date Masumune's "kabuto" helmet.

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Colorful float paraded at southwestern Japan festival

SAGA, Japan - A massive float shaped like a sea bream is drawn through a street in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at the annual "Karatsu Kunchi" festival on Nov. 3, 2014.

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Gunma-chan wins local mascot contest

TOKONAME, Japan - An event is held in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, on Nov. 3, 2014, to announce the results of an annual local mascot popularity contest. Gunma prefectural mascot Gunma-chan (5th from R) won the contest.

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Massive floats paraded at southwestern Japan festival

SAGA, Japan - Several massive floats made chiefly of wood and lacquer are paraded along a street in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at the annual "Karatsu Kunchi" festival on Nov. 3, 2014.

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Tokyo's Setagaya Ward honors 'local hero' Godzilla

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo's Setagaya Ward Mayor Nobuto Hosaka (R) presents an actor in a "Godzilla" suit with a certificate at Toho Studios in Tokyo on Nov. 3, 2014, the 60th anniversary of Godzilla's screen debut. Twenty eight of the 30 Godzilla movies including the first were made at the studios in the ward.

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Gunma-chan wins local mascot contest

TOKONAME, Japan - Gunma prefectural mascot Gunma-chan (L), the 2014 winner of an annual local mascot popularity contest, receives the gold medal from the previous winner, Sanomaru, a mascot of the city of Sano in Tochigi Prefecture, during an event in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, on Nov. 3, 2014.

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Gunma-chan wins local mascot contest

TOKONAME, Japan - Photo shows Gunma prefectural mascot Gunma-chan (C) and other contenders during an event to announce the results of an annual local mascot popularity contest, in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, on Nov. 3, 2014. Gunma-chan won the contest.

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Nobel winner Nakamura extends olive branch to former employer Nichia

TOKYO, Japan - Shuji Nakamura, one of the three Japan-born scientists awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, smiles during a press conference in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Nov. 3, 2014. The 60-year-old professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said he wants to rebuild ties with former employer Nichia Corp., despite launching a lawsuit against the chemical maker over patent rights to his groundbreaking blue light-emitting diode technology. "My Nobel Prize was made possible because Nichia led the world in LEDs," Nakamura said.

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Commemorative photo taken with 'Godzilla'

TOKYO, Japan - A child poses with an actor in "Godzilla" suit for a commemorative photo at Toho Studios in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on Nov. 3, 2014, the 60th anniversary of Godzilla's screen debut.

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Nobel winner Nakamura extends olive branch to former employer Nichia

TOKYO, Japan - Shuji Nakamura, one of the three Japan-born scientists awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, holds a press conference in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Nov. 3, 2014. The 60-year-old professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said he wants to rebuild ties with former employer Nichia Corp., despite launching a lawsuit against the chemical maker over patent rights to his groundbreaking blue light-emitting diode technology. "My Nobel Prize was made possible because Nichia led the world in LEDs," Nakamura said.

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Nishikori reaches No. 5 in ATP world rankings

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori. The 24-year-old U.S. Open runner-up moved up two slots from No. 7 to a career-high No. 5 from the previous week in the newly released ATP rankings on Nov. 3, 2014.

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Tottori students win comic strip contest

KOCHI, Japan - This three-panel comic strip drawn by a group of students from Yonago High School in Tottori Prefecture, western Japan, is awarded the top prize on Nov. 3, 2014, in a manga contest held for students in Tottori and Kochi prefectures, both of which boast of being the hometowns to great cartoon artists. Under the designated theme "47th place," the winning manga highlights how Tottori's population remains the least among Japan's 47 prefectures.

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'Kemari' kickball festa held in Nara's Tanzan Shrine

TONDABAYASHI, Japan - A "kemari" kickball festival is held at Tanzan Shrine in Nara Prefecture's Sakurai, western Japan, on Nov. 3, 2014, with "players" in traditional attire kicking a deerskin ball to one another without touching the ground.

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Dutch king meets Japanese press before visit to Tokyo

HAGUE, Netherlands - Dutch King Willem-Alexander meets Japanese reporters in his palace in The Hague on Oct. 3, 2014, before he and his wife Queen Maxima visit Japan from Oct. 28 to Nov. 2. (Pool photo)