[Breaking News]Japan PM Takaichi, defense minister Koizumi

TOKYO, Japan, Sept. 2 Kyodo - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi receive a guard of honor at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 2, 2026, as they meet senior members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces during an annual meeting. (Pool photo) (Kyodo)

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a flooded road in Goshogawara in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, following torrential rain.

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a flooded road in Goshogawara in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, following torrential rain.

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a flooded road in Aomori, northeastern Japan, following torrential rain.

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a flooded road in Aomori, northeastern Japan, following torrential rain.

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a flooded road in Aomori, northeastern Japan, following torrential rain.

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a flooded road in Aomori, northeastern Japan, following torrential rain.

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Torrential rain in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a flooded road in Aomori, northeastern Japan, following torrential rain.

Aftermath of strong earthquake in Kumamoto

Aftermath of strong earthquake in Kumamoto

Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2026, shows a two-storied gate and other structures severely damaged at Yatsushiro Shrine in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, following a powerful earthquake in the region on July 28.

Aftermath of strong earthquake in Kumamoto

Aftermath of strong earthquake in Kumamoto

Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2026, shows a two-storied gate and other structures severely damaged at Yatsushiro Shrine in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, following a powerful earthquake in the region on July 28.

Scene in Ukraine after Russian attacks

Scene in Ukraine after Russian attacks

Photo taken on Aug. 31, 2026, shows a burned building near Kyiv following Russian attacks.

Scene in Ukraine after Russian attacks

Scene in Ukraine after Russian attacks

Photo taken on Aug. 31, 2026, shows a burned vehicle near Kyiv following Russian attacks.

Scene in Ukraine after Russian attacks

Scene in Ukraine after Russian attacks

Photo taken on Aug. 31, 2026, shows a burned building near Kyiv following Russian attacks.

Japan to nominate Hikone Castle for 2028 World Heritage listing

Japan to nominate Hikone Castle for 2028 World Heritage listing

File photo taken in May 2025 shows Hikone Castle in Hikone in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan. Japan on Sept. 3, 2026, selected the castle, a national treasure, as a candidate for nomination for the 2028 UNESCO World Heritage list.

Japan to nominate Hikone Castle for 2028 World Heritage listing

Japan to nominate Hikone Castle for 2028 World Heritage listing

File photo taken in May 2025 shows Hikone Castle in Hikone in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan. Japan on Sept. 3, 2026, selected the castle, a national treasure, as a candidate for nomination for the 2028 UNESCO World Heritage list.

Japan to nominate Hikone Castle for 2028 World Heritage listing

Japan to nominate Hikone Castle for 2028 World Heritage listing

File photo taken in May 2025 shows Hikone Castle in Hikone in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan. Japan on Sept. 3, 2026, selected the castle, a national treasure, as a candidate for nomination for the 2028 UNESCO World Heritage list.

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows an area hit by flash floods and mudslide in Devighat, Nepal, about a week after the disaster in the Nepal-China border region.

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows an area hit by flash floods and mudslide in Devighat, Nepal, about a week after the disaster in the Nepal-China border region.

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows an area hit by flash floods and mudslide in Devighat, Nepal, about a week after the disaster in the Nepal-China border region.

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows an area hit by flash floods and mudslide in Devighat, Nepal, about a week after the disaster in the Nepal-China border region.

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows an area hit by flash floods and mudslide in Devighat, Nepal, about a week after the disaster in the Nepal-China border region.

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows an area hit by flash floods and mudslide in Devighat, Nepal, about a week after the disaster in the Nepal-China border region.

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows an area hit by flash floods and mudslide in Devighat, Nepal, about a week after the disaster in the Nepal-China border region.

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows an area hit by flash floods and mudslide in Devighat, Nepal, about a week after the disaster in the Nepal-China border region.

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Aftermath of flash floods in Nepal

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows an area hit by flash floods and mudslide in Devighat, Nepal, about a week after the disaster in the Nepal-China border region.

Swedish brand Granit shop to open in Tokyo

Swedish brand Granit shop to open in Tokyo

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a media preview of the first outlet in Japan of the Swedish interior goods brand Granit, set to open in Tokyo's Jiyugaoka area the following day.

Swedish brand Granit shop to open in Tokyo

Swedish brand Granit shop to open in Tokyo

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a media preview of the first outlet in Japan of the Swedish interior goods brand Granit, set to open in Tokyo's Jiyugaoka area the following day.

Swedish brand Granit shop to open in Tokyo

Swedish brand Granit shop to open in Tokyo

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a media preview of the first outlet in Japan of the Swedish interior goods brand Granit, set to open in Tokyo's Jiyugaoka area the following day.

Swedish brand Granit shop to open in Tokyo

Swedish brand Granit shop to open in Tokyo

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a media preview of the first outlet in Japan of the Swedish interior goods brand Granit, set to open in Tokyo's Jiyugaoka area the following day.

Swedish brand Granit shop to open in Tokyo

Swedish brand Granit shop to open in Tokyo

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026, shows a media preview of the first outlet in Japan of the Swedish interior goods brand Granit, set to open in Tokyo's Jiyugaoka area the following day.

2000 Nobel prize laureate in chemistry Shirakawa dies at 90

2000 Nobel prize laureate in chemistry Shirakawa dies at 90

File photo shows Hideki Shirakawa meeting the media after receiving the 2000 Nobel Prize in chemistry at the award ceremony in Stockholm on Dec. 10, 2000. Shirakawa, a professor emeritus at the University of Tsukuba, died at age 90 on Aug. 24, 2026.

Princess Kako at craft art exhibition

Princess Kako at craft art exhibition

Japanese Princess Kako looks at artworks at a traditional Japanese craft works exhibition in Tokyo on Sept. 3, 2026. (Pool photo)

Princess Kako at craft art exhibition

Princess Kako at craft art exhibition

Japanese Princess Kako (L) looks at artworks at a traditional Japanese craft works exhibition in Tokyo on Sept. 3, 2026. (Pool photo)

George Lucas museum in Los Angeles

George Lucas museum in Los Angeles

Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2026, shows the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art founded by "Star Wars" film director George Lucas in Los Angeles, unveiled to the media ahead of its opening to the public on Sept. 22.

George Lucas museum in Los Angeles

George Lucas museum in Los Angeles

Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2026, shows the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art founded by "Star Wars" film director George Lucas in Los Angeles, unveiled to the media ahead of its opening to the public on Sept. 22.

George Lucas museum in Los Angeles

George Lucas museum in Los Angeles

Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2026, shows the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art founded by "Star Wars" film director George Lucas in Los Angeles, unveiled to the media ahead of its opening to the public on Sept. 22.

Boxing: WBA minimumweight title match

Boxing: WBA minimumweight title match

Japanese boxer Takeshi Ishii (C) poses for a photo with his championship belt after knocking out Wilfredo Mendez of Puerto Rico in the first round of their WBA minimumweight world title match at Yokohama Buntai in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Sept. 2, 2026. Ishii rewrote Naoya Inoue's record for the fastest knockout by a Japanese male boxer in a world title bout.

Memorial ceremony for former lightweight world champion Ishimatsu

Memorial ceremony for former lightweight world champion Ishimatsu

Undisputed super bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue (C) poses for a photo at a memorial ceremony for Guts Ishimatsu, the first Japanese boxer to win a lightweight world title and later a household name as a TV personality and actor, in Tokyo on Sept. 2, 2026. Ishimatsu, whose real name was Yuji Suzuki, died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital on June 2.

Memorial ceremony for former lightweight world champion Ishimatsu

Memorial ceremony for former lightweight world champion Ishimatsu

Undisputed super bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue (2nd from R) poses for a photo at a memorial ceremony for Guts Ishimatsu, the first Japanese boxer to win a lightweight world title who later became a household name as a TV personality and actor, in Tokyo on Sept. 2, 2026. Ishimatsu, whose real name was Yuji Suzuki, died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital on June 2.

Japan PM Takaichi, defense minister Koizumi

Japan PM Takaichi, defense minister Koizumi

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (L) and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi receive a guard of honor at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 2, 2026, as they meet senior members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces during an annual meeting. (Pool photo)

Japan PM Takaichi, defense minister Koizumi

Japan PM Takaichi, defense minister Koizumi

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (C) receive a guard of honor at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 2, 2026, as they meet senior members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces during an annual meeting. (Pool photo)

Geiko entertainers photo shoot

Geiko entertainers photo shoot

Geiko traditional Japanese female entertainers pose in kimono during a photo shoot in Kyoto on Aug. 31, 2026, for pamphlets for the November Gion Odori dance performances.

Geiko entertainers photo shoot

Geiko entertainers photo shoot

Geiko traditional Japanese female entertainers pose in kimono during a photo shoot in Kyoto on Aug. 31, 2026, for pamphlets for the November Gion Odori dance performances.

Maiko entertainers photo shoot

Maiko entertainers photo shoot

Maiko, apprentices of geiko traditional Japanese female entertainers, pose in kimono during a photo shoot in Kyoto on Aug. 31, 2026, for pamphlets for the November Gion Odori dance performances.

Maiko entertainers photo shoot

Maiko entertainers photo shoot

Maiko, apprentices of geiko traditional Japanese female entertainers, pose in kimono during a photo shoot in Kyoto on Aug. 31, 2026, for pamphlets for the November Gion Odori dance performances.

Geiko, maiko entertainers photo shoot

Geiko, maiko entertainers photo shoot

Geiko traditional Japanese female entertainers and maiko apprentices pose in kimono during a photo shoot in Kyoto on Aug. 31, 2026, for pamphlets for the November Gion Odori dance performances.

Geiko, maiko entertainers photo shoot

Geiko, maiko entertainers photo shoot

Geiko traditional Japanese female entertainers and maiko apprentices pose in kimono during a photo shoot in Kyoto on Aug. 31, 2026, for pamphlets for the November Gion Odori dance performances.

Geiko, maiko entertainers photo shoot

Geiko, maiko entertainers photo shoot

Geiko traditional Japanese female entertainers and maiko apprentices pose in kimono during a photo shoot in Kyoto on Aug. 31, 2026, for pamphlets for the November Gion Odori dance performances.

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito visits Kumamoto

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito visits Kumamoto

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito (far R) arrives at Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital in the southwestern Japan city of Kumamoto on Sept. 1, 2026, to meet staff who cared for patients in the aftermath of a major earthquake that hit the region in late July. (Pool photo)

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito visits Kumamoto

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito visits Kumamoto

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito (L) arrives at Saiseikai Misumi Hospital in Uki in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Sept. 1, 2026, to meet staff who cared for patients in the aftermath of a major earthquake that hit the region in late July. (Pool photo)