U.S. Osprey aircraft joins drill with Japan's SDF in Kumamoto

U.S. Osprey aircraft joins drill with Japan's SDF in Kumamoto

YAMATO, Japan - A U.S. Marine Corps Osprey aircraft hovers above a team of Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force members during a joint exercise at the GSDF's Oyanohara Training Area in Yamato, Kumamoto Prefecture, in southwestern Japan on Dec. 7, 2014. It was the first Japan-U.S. drill in the Kyushu region using the Osprey aircraft.

U.S. Osprey aircraft in drill with SDF in Kumamoto

U.S. Osprey aircraft in drill with SDF in Kumamoto

YAMATO, Japan - Members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force board an Osprey aircraft of the U.S. Marine Corps during a joint exercise at the GSDF's Oyanohara Training Area in Yamato, Kumamoto Prefecture, in southwestern Japan on Dec. 7, 2014. It was the first Japan-U.S. drill in the Kyushu region using the Osprey aircraft.

U.S. Osprey aircraft in drill in Kumamoto with SDF

U.S. Osprey aircraft in drill in Kumamoto with SDF

YAMATO, Japan - Members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force board an Osprey aircraft of the U.S. Marine Corps during a joint exercise at the GSDF's Oyanohara Training Area in Yamato, Kumamoto Prefecture, in southwestern Japan on Dec. 7, 2014. It was the first Japan-U.S. drill in the Kyushu region using the Osprey aircraft.

Osprey about to land at Atsugi base

Osprey about to land at Atsugi base

YAMATO, Japan - An MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft from the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture is about to land at Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture on July 15, 2014.

Osprey flies to area near Tokyo

Osprey flies to area near Tokyo

YAMATO, Japan - An MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft arrives at the U.S. Navy's Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture from the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture on July 15, 2014, on its first flight near the capital.

Continued vigilance urged over heavy snow in northern Japan

Continued vigilance urged over heavy snow in northern Japan

TOKYO, Japan - The tail of an aircraft pokes through a collapsed hanger belonging to Nippi Corp., a Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group subsidiary, in the city of Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Feb. 16, 2014, as heavy snow blanketed many areas of eastern Japan.

Saizeriya to pay back charges for its pizzas

Saizeriya to pay back charges for its pizzas

YAMATO, Japan - Italian restaurant chain operator Saizeriya Co. President Yasuhiko Shogaki (R) speaks during a news conference at Zaizeriya's processing plant in Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Oct. 21. He said the company will return money to customers who consumed its pizzas, some of which have been found tainted with the industrial chemical melamine.

Japan Bunraku troupe to take part in Palermo puppet festival

Japan Bunraku troupe to take part in Palermo puppet festival

KUMAMOTO, Japan - An amateur ''Seiwa Bunraku'' puppet troupe from Kumamoto Prefecture will take part in the Morgana Puppet Festival in Palermo, Italy on Dec. 14-16. This photo, taken Dec. 9, depicts a scene in a Seiwa Buraku performance held at the Seiwa Bunraku Museum in Yamato, Kumamoto. Seiwa Buraku, a local Kumamoto form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, is typically staged by three puppeteers in black costumes, their faces covered in hoods.

Farm ministry begins tagging all cows to combat mad cow disease

Farm ministry begins tagging all cows to combat mad cow disease

YAMATO, Japan - The farm ministry begins numbering all cows in Japan on Dec. 17 in an attempt to deal with mad cow disease. The first cow (photo) to be tagged was in the town of Yamato, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. All cows will be followed from birth to slaughter and distribution under the numbering system.