U.S. cherry blossom queen pays courtesy call on Koizumi

U.S. cherry blossom queen pays courtesy call on Koizumi

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi poses for photos, flanked by Kristina Hilboldt (L), 2006 U.S. cherry blossom queen, and her Japanese counterpart Tomoko Miki (R) at his official residence in Tokyo on ay 9.

Hagiwara leads Japanese 1-2 at Pan Pacific swimming

Hagiwara leads Japanese 1-2 at Pan Pacific swimming

SYDNEY, Australia - Asian Games champion Tomoko Hagiwara (L) and Japanese national record holder Miki Nakao (R) show off their medals after making a 1-2 finish Aug. 28 in the final of the women's 200-meter backstroke in the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. Hagiwara, who took a 0.30-second lead into the final lap, held off Nakao down the stretch before touching in 2 minutes, 11.36 seconds to bag Japan's second gold medal of the biennial meet.

U.S. cherry blossom queen pays courtesy call on Koizumi

U.S. cherry blossom queen pays courtesy call on Koizumi

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi poses for photos, flanked by Kristina Hilboldt (L), 2006 U.S. cherry blossom queen, and her Japanese counterpart Tomoko Miki (R) at his official residence in Tokyo on ay 9. (Kyodo)

Hagiwara leads Japanese 1-2 at Pan Pacific swimming

Hagiwara leads Japanese 1-2 at Pan Pacific swimming

SYDNEY, Australia - Asian Games champion Tomoko Hagiwara (L) and Japanese national record holder Miki Nakao (R) show off their medals after making a 1-2 finish Aug. 28 in the final of the women's 200-meter backstroke in the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. Hagiwara, who took a 0.30-second lead into the final lap, held off Nakao down the stretch before touching in 2 minutes, 11.36 seconds to bag Japan's second gold medal of the biennial meet.