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Memorial for Sado mine forced workers

South Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Hyuk gives a speech at a memorial ceremony on Sado Island in Japan's Niigata Prefecture on Nov. 21, 2025, to honor Koreans who were forced to work at a gold and silver mine there during World War II. The ceremony was organized by the South Korean government.

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Memorial for Sado mine forced workers

A memorial ceremony is held by the South Korean government on Sado Island in Japan's Niigata Prefecture on Nov. 21, 2025, to honor Koreans who were forced to work at a gold and silver mine there during World War II.

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Memorial for Sado mine forced workers

A memorial ceremony is held by the South Korean government on Sado Island in Japan's Niigata Prefecture on Nov. 21, 2025, to honor Koreans who were forced to work at a gold and silver mine there during World War II.

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US: Palisades Fire Visible From Flights Near LAX As 30,000 Evacuate 4

Huge plumes of smoke were visible from flights arriving and departing from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as a wildfire rapidly spread through Pacific Palisades fueled by Santa Ana winds on Tuesday, January 7. The fire has scorched more than 2,900 acres, prompting the evacuation of nearly 30,000 residents and causing several road closures. Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency to provide additional support to the affected communities.

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US: Palisades Fire Smoke Visible From Flights Near LAX As 30,000 Evacuate 2

Huge plumes of smoke were visible from flights arriving and departing from Los Angeles International Airport as a wildfire rapidly spread through Pacific Palisades fueled by Santa Ana winds on Tuesday, January 7. The fire has scorched more than 2,900 acres, prompting the evacuation of nearly 30,000 residents and causing several road closures. Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency to provide additional support to the affected communities.

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UNESCO adds Japan's Sado mine site to World Heritage list+

Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi (2nd from R) celebrates in New Delhi on July 27, 2024, after UNESCO decided earlier in the day to add a gold and silver mine complex on Sado Island in the Japanese prefecture to its World Heritage list.

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UNESCO adds Japan's Sado mine site to World Heritage list+

Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi (C) celebrates in New Delhi on July 27, 2024, after UNESCO decided earlier in the day to add a gold and silver mine complex on Sado Island in the Japanese prefecture to its World Heritage list.

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Japanese crested ibis released on Sado Island

Crested ibis, designated as a special natural treasure in Japan, fly on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on June 4, 2024, when the Environment Ministry released 17 crested ibis, born in zoos in other parts of Japan, to increase their population in wilderness.

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Exhibition to promote Niigata Prefecture in Paris

Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi speaks at a reception for an exhibition promoting the Japanese prefecture held at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris on March 25, 2024. In 2023, Japan submitted a gold and silver mine complex on Sado Island in the prefecture for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

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Exhibition to promote Niigata Prefecture in Paris

Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi (L) talks about a gold and silver mine complex on Sado Island at an exhibition promoting the Japanese prefecture held at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris on March 25, 2024. In 2023, Japan submitted a gold and silver mine complex on Sado Island in the prefecture for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

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Exhibition to promote Niigata Prefecture in Paris

Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi (R) explains photo panels at an exhibition promoting the Japanese prefecture held at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris on March 25, 2024. In 2023, Japan submitted a gold and silver mine complex on Sado Island in the prefecture for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

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Crested ibis flying over Sado Island

NIIGATA, Japan - A crested ibis, a special natural treasure in Japan, flies over Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, in September 2012.

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Crested ibis chicks

NIIGATA, Japan - Photo taken on April 22, 2013, shows veterinarian Yoshinori Kaneko feeding the biggest of four crested ibis chicks born in the wild but being raised at the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture.

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Crested ibis chicks

NIIGATA, Japan - Photo taken on April 22, 2013, shows the smallest of four crested ibis chicks born in the wild but being raised at the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture.

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Boat adrift in Sea of Japan

TOKYO, Japan - A Nov. 29, 2012, file photo shows police officers examining a wooden boat that drifted ashore on Japan's Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. Japanese authorities suspect the vessel, which carried the bodies of five men, was a fishing boat from North Korea.

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5 bodies found in boat marked with Hangul characters

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter in the city of Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Nov. 28, 2012, shows police officers examining a wooden boat that washed up on rocks by a beach on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. Five bodies were found in the morning of that day in the boat marked with Hangul characters.

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5 bodies found in boat marked with Hangul characters

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter in the city of Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Nov. 28, 2012, shows police officers examining a wooden boat that washed up on rocks by a beach on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. Five bodies were found in the morning of that day in the boat marked with Hangul characters.

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5 bodies found in boat marked with Hangul characters

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter in the city of Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Nov. 28, 2012, shows police officers examining a wooden boat that washed up on rocks by a beach on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. Five bodies were found in the morning of that day in the boat marked with Hangul characters.

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Crested ibises on Sado Island

NIIGATA, Japan - A pair of crested ibises are seen incubating in the nest on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, on April 20, 2012. (Pool photo)

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Crested ibises transferred

NIIGATA, Japan - Officials at a Japanese crested ibis conservation center on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture carry a wooden box containing crested ibises on Jan. 21, 2011. Two pairs of the protected birds were sent to another breeding center in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, to reduce the risk of being infected with diseases as part of efforts to avoid their extinction.

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Crested ibis on Sado Island

TOKYO, Japan - A pair of crested ibises perch on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, on April 30, 2010, the morning after tossing out eggs from their nest.

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Crested ibis on Sado Island

TOKYO, Japan - A crested ibis (L) is chased by a black kite on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, on April 25, 2010.

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Crested ibis on Sado Island

TOKYO, Japan - A crested ibis (L) preens beside egrets near a rice field in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on April 25, 2010.

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Crested ibis on Sado Island

TOKYO, Japan - A crested ibis flies in the city of Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on April 24, 2010.

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Crested ibis on Sado Island

TOKYO, Japan - A crested ibis flies on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, on April 26, 2010. During the breeding season, the bird's head, crest, neck and back are grey.

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Crested ibis on Sado Island

TOKYO, Japan - A crested ibis flies over a cherry blossom tree in full bloom on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, on April 25, 2010.

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Crested ibis throws out another egg from nest

SADO, Japan - A crested ibis sits at its nest on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, on April 26, 2010. An Environment Ministry official saw the male crested ibis throw an egg out of the nest the same day. There is believed to be one egg remaining in the nest of the 3-year-old male and 1-year-old female ibis, which threw out an egg on April 22.

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Crested ibis in Japan's Sado

SADO, Japan - A crested ibis, an endangered species, flies over ''sakura'' cherry blossoms in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on April 25, 2010. A pair of the birds is taking care of eggs in the island city that could herald the birth of the country's first wild-born ibis in 36 years.

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Artificially-bred ibises thrive in wild of Sado Island

TOKYO, Japan - An endangered crested ibis is about to land on a snow-covered rice paddy on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture in January. The white bird is among 10 crested ibises that were released into the wild in September last year after being artificially bred on the island. The ibis appears to have learned how to find food such as frogs, according to an Environment Ministry-led monitoring team. The crested ibis, whose scientific name includes the word ''Nippon,'' which means Japan, is a closely monitored species in Japan.

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Ex-abductee Soga's husband Jenkins promotes Sado rice

TOKYO, Japan - Charles Jenkins (R), the 67-year-old husband of former abductee Hitomi Soga, participated in a event in Tokyo on Nov. 9 to help promote organic rice from Sado, an island in Niigata Prefecture where the couple now live after being allowed to leave North Korea.

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Police obtain arrest warrant for N. Korean woman for abducting Soga

NIIGATA, Japan - Japanese police obtained an arrest warrant on Nov. 2 for Kim Myong Suk (in portrait released by police) a North Korean woman believed to be in her 70s or 80s, on suspicion of her involvement in the 1978 abduction of Hitomi Soga from Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture to North Korea. The police said they will ask North Korea, via Japan's foreign ministry, to hand her over.

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Jenkins meets reporters in Sado

SADO, Japan - Former U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Jenkins, husband of repatriated abductee Hitomi Soga, speaks at a news conference in Soga's hometown on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, on Jan. 31. He met reporters alone for the first time since arriving in Japan in July in 2004.

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(7)Jenkins arrives in Niigata for new life with family

SADO, Japan - Mika (L) and Brinda, daughters of Charles Jenkins and his Japanese wife Hitomi Soga, hold flowers during a press conference with their parents at the Mano branch of the Sado municipal office in Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, on Dec. 7.

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(1)Soga wants her family to live together in Japan

SADO, Japan - Repatriated Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga speaks at a press conference in Mano on Sato Island, Niigata Prefecture, on July 6. Soga, set to be reunited in Indonesia on July 9 with members of her family who live in North Korea, said she eventually wants to live with her husband and their two daughters in Japan.

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(2)Soga wants her family to live together in Japan

SADO, Japan - Repatriated Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga speaks at a press conference in Mano on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture on July 6. ''In the very end, I strongly feel that I want the four of us to live together here in Japan,'' Soga said of her scheduled reunion with members of her family in Jakarta on July 9.

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Soga believes mother still alive and waiting to meet

MANO, Japan - Hitomi Soga, one of five Japanese abducted to North Korea in 1978 and now back in Japan, reads out a statement at a news conference at the office of the Mano municipal government on the Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture on Dec. 28. In the statement she said she believes her missing mother, also believed to have been abducted, is still alive and is waiting to meet with her again. (Pool photo)

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Soga meets gov't special adviser Nakayama

TOKYO, Japan - Hitomi Soga (R), one of five Japanese abducted to North Korea and now back in Japan, presents a Sado Island doll to Cabinet Secretariat special adviser Kyoko Nakayama at Nakayama's office in Tokyo on Nov. 29.

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(7)Abductees enjoy their homecoming

SADOGASHIMA ISLAND, Japan - Hitomi Soga (C), one of five Japanese on their first homecoming since being abducted to North Korea in 1978, shakes hands with a tourist during a visit to the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center in the village of Niibo, Niigata Prefecture, on Oct. 20.

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(8)Abductees enjoy their homecoming

SADOGASHIMA ISLAND, Japan - Hitomi Soga, on her first homecoming since being abducted to North Korea in 1978, smiles after being presented with a picture of crested ibises during a visit to the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center in the village of Niibo, Niigata Prefecture, on Oct. 20. (Pool photo)

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Soga observes crested ibises on Sadogashima Island

SADO, Japan - Hitomi Soga, 43, one of the five Japanese nationals on their first homecoming since being abducted to North Korea in 1978, visits the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center with her nephew on Oct. 20. The conservation center is on Sadogashima Island in Niigata Prefecture.

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Soga attends high school reunion

SADO, Japan - Hitomi Soga (C), who was abducted to North Korea in 1978, chats with friends Oct. 18 at a high school class reunion on Sadogashima Island, Niigata Prefecture, during her first homecoming since the abduction.

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Soga receives diploma in Sado

SADO, Japan - Hitomi Soga (R), one of the five Japanese nationals on their first homecoming since being abducted to North Korea in 1978, receives a graduation diploma from principal Kunihiro Fujiki of the prefectural Sado High School on Sadogashima Island, Niigata Prefecture, on Oct. 18 at a makeshift ''graduation ceremony'' at a Niigata hotel. Soga was a 19-year-old student at the school at the time of her abduction.

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Female crested ibis from China presented to Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Li Yucai (L), deputy director of China's State Forestry Bureau, holds a picture of Mei Mei, an 18-month-old female crested ibis officially donated by China in Tokyo on Oct. 16 for mating with Yu Yu, shown in a frame held by Environment Agency director general Yoriko Kawaguchi. Mei Mei's picture was presented to Japan to mark her transportation to the Sado Crested Ibis Conservation Center on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture.

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Female crested ibis arrives from China for mating

NIIGATA, Japan - Masatomo Kawai (R), vice minister at Japan's Environment Agency, and Li Yucai, deputy director of China's State Forestry Bureau, shake hands Oct. 14 after exchanging a note on the delivery at Niigata airport of a young female crested ibis. The bird, named ''Mei Mei,'' was donated to Japan by China for mating purposes under an environmental accord adopted the previous day in Tokyo between Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji. The 18-month-old Mei Mei was transported to the Sado Crested Ibis Conservation Center on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, to mate with Yu Yu, which was hatched in Japan.

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Mori receives photo of crested ibis from Zhu

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori (R) receives a photo of a female crested ibis from Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji in a banquet in Tokyo on Oct. 13. The ibis Mei Mei is being presented to Japan for mating with Yu Yu, which is being raised at the Sado Crested Ibis Conservation Center on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture. Yu Yu was born in May last year to Yang Yang and You You, which were a gift from Chinese President Jiang Zemin to Emperor Akihito on the occasion of Jiang's visit to Japan in 1998.

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2 ibis chicks in Niigata opened to the public

SADO, Japan - Two chicks recently born to a pair of endangered crested ibises given to Japan by China are opened to the general public on July 15 at the Sado Crested Ibis Conservation Center on Sadogashima Island in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast. The chicks -- ''Shin Shin'' (L) and ''Ai Ai'' -- were hatched in May.

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2 ibis chicks in Niigata given names

TOKYO, Japan - Environment Agency chief Kayoko Shimizu reveals the names July 3 given to two chicks recently born to a pair of endangered crested ibises donated to Japan by China -- ''Ai Ai'' (L) for the female and ''Shin Shin'' for the male. The chicks were hatched May 8 and 10 at the Sado Crested Ibis Conservation Center in Sadogashima Island in Niigata Prefecture.

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Japan to recommend Sado mine as UNESCO world heritage

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R front) speaks in Tokyo on Jan. 28, 2022, about the country's plan to recommend a gold and silver mine site on Sado Island for the 2023 UNESCO World Heritage list.

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Japan to recommend Sado mine as UNESCO world heritage

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks in Tokyo on Jan. 28, 2022 about the country's plan to recommend a gold and silver mine site on Sado Island for the 2023 UNESCO World Heritage list.

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(7)Jenkins arrives in Niigata for new life with family

SADO, Japan - Mika (L) and Brinda, daughters of Charles Jenkins and his Japanese wife Hitomi Soga, hold flowers during a press conference with their parents at the Mano branch of the Sado municipal office in Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, on Dec. 7. (Kyodo)