Imperial police officers' New Year parade

Imperial police officers' New Year parade

Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako (L) and their daughter Princess Aiko watch a New Year parade by Imperial Guard Headquarters officers at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026. (Pool photo)

Imperial police officers' New Year parade

Imperial police officers' New Year parade

Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako (C) and their daughter Princess Aiko arrive at the venue of a New Year parade by Imperial Guard Headquarters officers at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026. (Pool photo)

Japan PM dissolves lower house for snap general election

Japan PM dissolves lower house for snap general election

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026, shows a street television reporting news that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives earlier in the day for a snap general election on Feb. 8.

Japan PM dissolves lower house for snap general election

Japan PM dissolves lower house for snap general election

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026, shows a street television reporting news that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives earlier in the day for a snap general election on Feb. 8.

Parliament building in Tokyo

Parliament building in Tokyo

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows Japan's parliament building in Tokyo after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives earlier in the day for a snap general election on Feb. 8.

Parliament building in Tokyo

Parliament building in Tokyo

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows Japan's parliament building in Tokyo after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives earlier in the day for a snap general election on Feb. 8.

Preparation for general election

Preparation for general election

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026, shows a board set up for candidates' posters in Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives earlier in the day for a snap general election on Feb. 8.

Preparation for general election

Preparation for general election

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026, shows a board set up for candidates' posters in Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives earlier in the day for a snap general election on Feb. 8.

Preparation for general election

Preparation for general election

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026, shows a board set up for candidates' posters in Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives earlier in the day for a snap general election on Feb. 8.

Japan PM dissolves lower house for snap general election

Japan PM dissolves lower house for snap general election

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows people listening to a politician's speech in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives earlier in the day for a snap general election on Feb. 8.

Japan PM dissolves lower house for snap general election

Japan PM dissolves lower house for snap general election

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows people listening to a politician's speech in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives earlier in the day for a snap general election on Feb. 8.

Japan PM dissolves lower house for snap general election

Japan PM dissolves lower house for snap general election

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows people listening to a politician's speech in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives earlier in the day for a snap general election on Feb. 8.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex

File photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025, shows the No. 6 reactor building (C) at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

Frozen waterfall in western Japan

Frozen waterfall in western Japan

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026, shows a frozen waterfall basin and icy rock surface at the World Heritage-listed Nachi Falls in Nachikatsuura in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan.

Frozen waterfall in western Japan

Frozen waterfall in western Japan

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026, shows ice on the rock surface at the World Heritage-listed Nachi Falls in Nachikatsuura in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan.

Multivehicle crash in Tokyo

Multivehicle crash in Tokyo

Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2026, shows the site of a multivehicle accident that occurred in central Tokyo's Akasaka district earlier in the day, leaving six men injured, including one in critical condition.

Multivehicle crash in Tokyo

Multivehicle crash in Tokyo

Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2026, shows the site of a multivehicle accident that occurred in central Tokyo's Akasaka district earlier in the day, leaving six men injured, including one in critical condition.

Multivehicle crash in Tokyo

Multivehicle crash in Tokyo

Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2026, shows the site of a multivehicle accident that occurred in central Tokyo's Akasaka district earlier in the day, leaving six men injured, including one in critical condition.

Multivehicle crash in Tokyo

Multivehicle crash in Tokyo

Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2026, shows the site of a multivehicle accident that occurred in central Tokyo's Akasaka district earlier in the day, leaving six men injured, including one in critical condition.

Multivehicle crash in Tokyo

Multivehicle crash in Tokyo

Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2026, shows the site of a multivehicle accident that occurred in central Tokyo's Akasaka district earlier in the day, leaving six men injured, including one in critical condition.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda arrives at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 22, 2026, for the first day of a two-day monetary policy meeting. (Pool photo)

Eve of PM Takaichi's Diet dissolution

Eve of PM Takaichi's Diet dissolution

Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2026, shows Japan's parliament building in Tokyo on the eve of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's scheduled dissolution of the House of Representatives for a snap general election.

Eve of PM Takaichi's Diet dissolution

Eve of PM Takaichi's Diet dissolution

Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2026, shows Japan's parliament building in Tokyo on the eve of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's scheduled dissolution of the House of Representatives for a snap general election.

Eve of PM Takaichi's Diet dissolution

Eve of PM Takaichi's Diet dissolution

Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2026, shows Japan's parliament building in Tokyo on the eve of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's scheduled dissolution of the House of Representatives for a snap general election.

Eve of PM Takaichi's Diet dissolution

Eve of PM Takaichi's Diet dissolution

Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2026, shows Japan's parliament building in Tokyo on the eve of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's scheduled dissolution of the House of Representatives for a snap general election.

Snow in western Japan

Snow in western Japan

Photo shows a snow-covered street in the western Japan city of Tottori on Jan. 21, 2026.

Heavy snowfall in Japan

Heavy snowfall in Japan

Photo shows snow-covered Tottori Sand Dunes in Tottori, western Japan, on Jan. 22, 2026.

Snow in central Japan

Snow in central Japan

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, shows JR Kanazawa Station in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, blanketed in snow.

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, shows the central control room for the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex's No. 6 reactor in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. restarted the reactor at the seven-unit complex, the world's largest nuclear power plant by output when fully operational, marking the first resumption of a reactor by TEPCO since the 2011 crisis in Fukushima Prefecture. (Pool photo)

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, shows the central control room for the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex's No. 6 reactor in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. restarted the reactor at the seven-unit complex, the world's largest nuclear power plant by output when fully operational, marking the first resumption of a reactor by TEPCO since the 2011 crisis in Fukushima Prefecture. (Pool photo)

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, shows Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex's No. 6 reactor in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. restarted the reactor at the seven-unit complex, the world's largest nuclear power plant by output when fully operational, the same day, marking the first resumption of a reactor by TEPCO since the 2011 crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, shows Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. restarted the No. 6 reactor at the seven-unit complex, the world's largest nuclear power plant by output when fully operational, the same day, marking the first resumption of a reactor by TEPCO since the 2011 crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, shows Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. restarted the No. 6 reactor at the seven-unit complex, the world's largest nuclear power plant by output when fully operational, the same day, marking the first resumption of a reactor by TEPCO since the 2011 crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, shows Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. restarted the No. 6 reactor at the seven-unit complex, the world's largest nuclear power plant by output when fully operational, the same day, marking the first resumption of a reactor by TEPCO since the 2011 crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

TEPCO reboots 1st nuclear reactor since Fukushima crisis

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, shows Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. restarted the No. 6 reactor at the seven-unit complex, the world's largest nuclear power plant by output when fully operational, the same day, marking the first resumption of a reactor by TEPCO since the 2011 crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.

Search for missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Search for missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, in Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, shows firefighters preparing to resume a search for a sightseeing helicopter that went missing the previous day in the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso.

Ruling on shooter of ex-Japan PM Abe

Ruling on shooter of ex-Japan PM Abe

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, shows a courtroom of the Nara District Court in Nara ahead of a ruling on Tetsuya Yamagami, the man who fatally shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The court sentenced him to life in prison for killing Abe during an election stump speech in the western Japan city in July 2022. (Pool photo)

Ruling on shooter of ex-Japan PM Abe

Ruling on shooter of ex-Japan PM Abe

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, shows a courtroom of the Nara District Court in Nara ahead of a ruling on Tetsuya Yamagami, the man who fatally shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The court sentenced him to life in prison for killing Abe during an election stump speech in the western Japan city in July 2022. (Pool photo)

Baseball: MLB Tokyo Series

Baseball: MLB Tokyo Series

Composite time-lapse photo shows Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting a solo home run, his first of the season, during the second game of MLB's two-game, season-opening Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome on March 19, 2025.

Baseball: Mets vs. Dodgers

Baseball: Mets vs. Dodgers

Composite time-lapse photo shows Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting a two-run home run in a baseball game against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on April 21, 2024. The 176th home run of his major league career broke a tie with Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japanese-born player.

Northern Japan hotel made of ice

Northern Japan hotel made of ice

Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2026, in Shimukappu, a northern Japan village where winter temperatures can fall as low as minus 30 C, shows the interior of a dome-shaped hotel where the ceiling, walls and furnishings, including beds and tables, are made of ice.

Northern Japan hotel made of ice

Northern Japan hotel made of ice

Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2026, in Shimukappu, a northern Japan village where winter temperatures can fall as low as minus 30 C, shows the interior of a dome-shaped hotel where the ceiling, walls and furnishings, including beds and tables, are made of ice.

Northern Japan hotel made of ice

Northern Japan hotel made of ice

Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2026, in Shimukappu, a northern Japan village where winter temperatures can fall as low as minus 30 C, shows the interior of a dome-shaped hotel where the ceiling, walls and furnishings, including beds and tables, are made of ice.

Northern Japan hotel made of ice

Northern Japan hotel made of ice

Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2026, in Shimukappu, a northern Japan village where winter temperatures can fall as low as minus 30 C, shows the interior of a dome-shaped hotel where the ceiling, walls and furnishings, including beds and tables, are made of ice.

Northern Japan chapel made of ice

Northern Japan chapel made of ice

Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2026, in Shimukappu, a northern Japan village where winter temperatures can fall as low as minus 30 C, shows a chapel where the ceiling, walls, altar and cross are made of ice.

Northern Japan chapel made of ice

Northern Japan chapel made of ice

Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2026, in Shimukappu, a northern Japan village where winter temperatures can fall as low as minus 30 C, shows a chapel where the ceiling, walls, altar and cross are made of ice.

Northern Japan chapel made of ice

Northern Japan chapel made of ice

Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2026, in Shimukappu, a northern Japan village where winter temperatures can fall as low as minus 30 C, shows a chapel where the ceiling, walls, altar and cross are made of ice.

Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Jan. 20, 2026, shows the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso in Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, after a sightseeing helicopter went missing earlier in the day.

Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Jan. 20, 2026, shows the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso in Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, after a sightseeing helicopter went missing earlier in the day.

Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Jan. 20, 2026, shows the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso in Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, after a sightseeing helicopter went missing earlier in the day.