Woman serving as bridge between farmers, consumers

Woman serving as bridge between farmers, consumers

TOKYO, Japan - Kyo Shuto (C) helps rice planting at farmer Kazuo Kanazawa's paddy field in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture on May 19, 2013. Shuto is president of Kometabi Co., a firm that sells rice and vegetables grown by contract farmers in Akita with natural farming methods. (Photo by Shuzo Shikano)

Woman serving as bridge between farmers, consumers

Woman serving as bridge between farmers, consumers

TOKYO, Japan - A woman tries snowshoes with the help of a local man in Yokote, Akita Prefecture on Feb. 9, 2013. She was among the 11 women from the Tokyo metropolitan area who participated in the tour "Let's shovel snow and become an Akita beauty" organized by Kometabi Co. with the hope of helping consumers directly interact with farmers and learn about the secrets behind high-quality rice. (Photo by Shuzo Shikano)

Shuttle succeeds in entering orbit

Shuttle succeeds in entering orbit

TOKYO, Japan - Akito Shikano (L) and his wife Kimie, parents of Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, show Yamazaki's graduation essay she wrote when she was in sixth grade at a news conference at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on April 5, 2010. The space shuttle Discovery with Yamazaki on board lifted off on a mission to the International Space Center from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the same day.

Group gathers 52,000 signatures for referendum on nuclear power

Group gathers 52,000 signatures for referendum on nuclear power

Takayuki Shikano, leader of a civilian group calling for a national referendum on whether to operate nuclear power plants, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on May 28, 2015, after presenting signatures of some 52,000 people in favor of a referendum to like-minded lawmakers. ==Kyodo

Shuttle succeeds in entering orbit

Shuttle succeeds in entering orbit

TOKYO, Japan - Akito Shikano (L) and his wife Kimie, parents of Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, show Yamazaki's graduation essay she wrote when she was in sixth grade at a news conference at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on April 5, 2010. The space shuttle Discovery with Yamazaki on board lifted off on a mission to the International Space Center from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the same day. (Kyodo)