Japanese Princess Aiko

Japanese Princess Aiko poses for photos wearing a tiara borrowed from her aunt Sayako Kuroda as she attends official ceremonies to mark her coming of age on Dec. 5, 2021, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The princess turned 20 years old on Dec. 1. (Pool photo)

Japanese Princess Aiko

Japanese Princess Aiko is pictured as she attends official ceremonies to mark her coming of age on Dec. 5, 2021, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, wearing a tiara borrowed from her aunt Sayako Kuroda. The princess turned 20 years old on Dec. 1. (Pool photo)

Japanese Princess Aiko

Japanese Princess Aiko is pictured as she attends official ceremonies to mark her coming of age on Dec. 5, 2021, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, wearing a tiara borrowed from her aunt Sayako Kuroda. The princess turned 20 years old on Dec. 1. (Pool photo)

PM Kishida visits Fukushima city working on smart city scheme

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (2nd from L) observes a remote conference system during a visit to the Fukushima Prefecture city of Aizuwakamatsu, northeastern Japan, known for working on a smart city scheme, on Dec. 4, 2021. The central government has promoted a national digitalization project as part of its efforts to revitalize regional economies. (Pool photo)

PM Kishida visits Fukushima city working on smart city scheme

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida observes remote sales of liquor during a visit to the Fukushima Prefecture city of Aizuwakamatsu, northeastern Japan, known for working on a smart city scheme, on Dec. 4, 2021. The central government has promoted a national digitalization project as part of its efforts to revitalize regional economies. (Pool photo)

PM Kishida visits Fukushima city working on smart city scheme

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (2nd from R) observes delivery service using a self-driving robot during a visit to the Fukushima Prefecture city of Aizuwakamatsu, northeastern Japan, known for working on a smart city scheme, on Dec. 4, 2021. The central government has promoted a national digitalization project as part of its efforts to revitalize regional economies. (Pool photo)

PM Kishida visits Fukushima city working on smart city scheme

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (C) observes a remote conference system during a visit to the Fukushima Prefecture city of Aizuwakamatsu, northeastern Japan, known for working on a smart city scheme, on Dec. 4, 2021. The central government has promoted a national digitalization project as part of its efforts to revitalize regional economies. (Pool photo)

PM Kishida visits Fukushima city working on smart city scheme

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida observes remote sales of liquor during a visit to the Fukushima Prefecture city of Aizuwakamatsu, northeastern Japan, known for working on a smart city scheme, on Dec. 4, 2021. The central government has promoted a national digitalization project as part of its efforts to revitalize regional economies. (Pool photo)

Security camera inside Tokyo train

File photo taken in May 2018 shows a security camera installed inside a train of East Japan Railway Co.'s Yamanote loop line running in central Tokyo area.

Boxing: Murata-Golovkin title unification bout postponed

File photo shows WBA middleweight super champion Ryota Murata of Japan. His title unification bout against IBF champion Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan, scheduled for Dec. 29, 2021, has been postponed, Murata's Teiken boxing gym said on Dec. 3, due to Japan's new border restrictions to avoid the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Mural dedicated to doctor Tetsu Nakamura

Photo taken Nov. 21, 2021, shows a mural in Kabul dedicated to Japanese doctor Tetsu Nakamura who devoted his life to drilling wells and other humanitarian work in Afghanistan before being gunned down in 2019.

Mural dedicated to doctor Tetsu Nakamura

Photo taken Nov. 21, 2021, shows a mural in Kabul dedicated to Japanese doctor Tetsu Nakamura who devoted his life to drilling wells and other humanitarian work in Afghanistan before being gunned down in 2019.

Cloud cap over Mt. Fuji

Photo taken Dec. 3, 2021, from Fujiyoshida in Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture shows a cloud cap covering the top of Mt. Fuji.

Japan drops blanket halt of inbound flight bookings after criticism

Photo shows an international arrival lobby at Narita airport near Tokyo on Dec. 2, 2021. Japan retracted the same day its plan to completely halt bookings for inbound international flights in December amid fears of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus as the step was criticized as going too far.

Tennis: WTA suspends tournaments in China

File photo shows Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who on Nov. 2, 2021, posted an allegation of sexual assault against a top Chinese government official. On Dec. 1, the Women's Tennis Association announced the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, saying "the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way."

Kabuki theater in Tokyo

Photo shows the Kabukiza Theatre in Tokyo's Ginza area on Dec. 2, 2021, with the December Kabuki program being performed.

U.S., S. Korean defense chiefs meet

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (C in back row) and South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook (2nd from L in back row) pose for a photo at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul on Dec. 2, 2021.

Tennis: Peng Shuai at 2017 China Open

File photo taken on Oct. 4, 2017 shows Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai at the China Open in Beijing.

Tennis: Peng Shuai at 2017 China Open

File photo taken on Oct. 4, 2017 shows Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai at the China Open in Beijing.

Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa

File photo shows Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, who won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.

Kabuki theater in Tokyo

Photo shows the Kabukiza Theatre in Tokyo's Ginza area on Dec. 2, 2021, with the December Kabuki program being performed.

Japan drops blanket halt of inbound flight bookings after criticism

Photo shows passengers arriving at Narita airport near Tokyo no Dec. 2, 2021. Japan retracted the same day its plan to completely halt bookings for inbound international flights in December due to the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus as the step was criticized as going too far.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli

File photo taken March 5, 2018, shows Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

U.S. fighter jet's emergency landing in northeastern Japan

Photo taken Dec. 1, 2021, in Fukaura in Aomori Prefecture, shows metal objects dumped the previous day from a U.S. F-16 fighter jet that flies out of Misawa Air Base. After dumping fuel tanks, the jet made an emergency landing at Aomori Airport in northeastern Japan, according to the Defense Ministry and local authorities.

U.S. fighter jet's emergency landing in northeastern Japan

Photo taken Dec. 1, 2021, from a Kyodo News plane shows the place (circled in red) where a fuel tank was found near a residential area in the Aomori Prefecture town of Fukaura, northeastern Japan, after being dumped by a U.S. F-16 fighter jet a day earlier. The jet dumped two fuel tanks and then made an emergency landing at Aomori Airport.

U.S. fighter jet's emergency landing in northeastern Japan

Photo taken Dec. 1, 2021, from a Kyodo News airplane above Aomori Airport in northeastern Japan shows a U.S. F-16 fighter jet based at Misawa Air Base following its emergency landing there the previous day. The jet dumped two fuel tanks before the emergency landing, according to the Defense Ministry and local authorities.

Preparation for year of tiger in 2022

Photo taken Nov. 26, 2021, shows tiger ceramic figurines made at a Shigaraki ware pottery in Koka in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan. Production of the tiger figurines has reached its peak in preparation for the year of tiger in 2022 in the Chinese zodiac.

Doraemon statue unveiled in Tokyo

Photo shows a bronze statue of iconic Japanese manga character Doraemon, unveiled at Miyashita Park in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Dec. 1, 2021, following the 50th anniversary of the publication of the comic series of the same name.

COVID-19 vaccination

File photo taken Dec. 1, 2021, shows a syringe filled with COVID-19 vaccine at Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center in Hachioji, western Tokyo.

U.S. fighter jet's emergency landing in northeastern Japan

Photo taken Dec. 1, 2021, at Aomori Airport in northeastern Japan shows a U.S. F-16 fighter jet based at Misawa Air Base following its emergency landing there the previous day. The jet dumped two fuel tanks before the emergency landing, according to the Defense Ministry and local authorities.

Preparation for year of tiger in 2022

Photo taken Nov. 26, 2021, shows a tiger ceramic figurine made at a Shigaraki ware pottery in Koka in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan. Production of the tiger figurines has reached its peak in preparation for the year of tiger in 2022 in the Chinese zodiac.

Japan begins administering COVID-19 booster shots

Noriko Horiuchi (2nd from L), Japanese minister in charge of promoting coronavirus vaccinations, looks on as Tokyo Medical Center director Kazuhiro Araki (C front) receives his third COVID-19 vaccine shot at the center in Tokyo on Dec. 1, 2021. (Pool photo)

Preparation for year of tiger in 2022

Photo taken Nov. 26, 2021, shows tiger ceramic figurines made at a Shigaraki ware pottery in Koka in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan. Production of the tiger figurines has reached its peak in preparation for the year of tiger in 2022 in the Chinese zodiac.

Doraemon statue unveiled in Tokyo

Photo shows a bronze statue of iconic Japanese manga character Doraemon, unveiled at Miyashita Park in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Dec. 1, 2021, following the 50th anniversary of the publication of the comic series of the same name.

Executives of Japan's main opposition party

Chinami Nishimura (L) poses for a photo with Kenta Izumi, new head of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, after being named as the party's secretary general in Tokyo on Dec. 1, 2021.

U.S. fighter jet's emergency landing in northeastern Japan

Photo taken Dec. 1, 2021, from a Kyodo News airplane above Aomori Airport in northeastern Japan shows a U.S. F-16 fighter jet (L, bottom) based at Misawa Air Base following its emergency landing there the previous day. The jet dumped two fuel tanks before the emergency landing, according to the Defense Ministry and local authorities.

U.S. fighter jet's emergency landing in northeastern Japan

Photo taken Dec. 1, 2021, from a Kyodo News plane shows the place (circled in red) where a fuel tank was found near a residential area in the Aomori Prefecture town of Fukaura, northeastern Japan, after being dumped by a U.S. F-16 fighter jet a day earlier. The jet dumped two fuel tanks and then made an emergency landing at Aomori Airport.

Japanese vaccination minister Horiuchi

Noriko Horiuchi, Japanese minister in charge of promoting coronavirus vaccinations, meets the media on Dec. 1, 2021, in Tokyo after inspecting a venue to administer COVID-19 booster shots. (Pool photo)

Kabuki actor Nakamura Kichiemon dies at 77

File photo taken in July 2011 shows Kabuki actor Nakamura Kichiemon speaking in Tokyo after being chosen as a living national treasure. He died of heart failure on Nov. 28, 2021, at the age of 77.

COVID-19 vaccination site

Photo taken on Nov. 30, 2021, shows a COVID-19 vaccination site at a park in Beijing.

Fire at Hitachi Transport System warehouse in Osaka

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Nov. 30, 2021, shows smoke still rising after a fire broke out at a warehouse of Hitachi Transport System West Japan Co. in Osaka the previous day.

Sand cats at eastern Japanese zoo

Photo taken Nov. 30, 2021, shows visitors taking pictures of sand cats at Nasu Animal Kingdom in the Tochigi Prefecture town of Nasu, eastern Japan.

Japan opposition leadership race

Combined photo shows the four candidates for the leadership election of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, (from L) Chinami Nishimura, Kenta Izumi, Junya Ogawa and Seiji Osaka as they deliver speeches at an extraordinary party meeting in Tokyo on Nov. 30, 2021. The party elected its policy chief Izumi as its new leader the same day.

Japan opposition leadership race

Combined photo shows the four candidates for the leadership election of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, (from L) Chinami Nishimura, Kenta Izumi, Junya Ogawa and Seiji Osaka in Tokyo on Nov. 30, 2021. The party elected its policy chief Izumi as its new leader the same day.

Sand cats at eastern Japanese zoo

Photo taken Nov. 30, 2021, shows visitors taking pictures of sand cats at Nasu Animal Kingdom in the Tochigi Prefecture town of Nasu, eastern Japan.

Fire at Hitachi Transport System warehouse in Osaka

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Nov. 30, 2021, shows smoke still rising after a fire broke out at a warehouse of Hitachi Transport System West Japan Co. in Osaka the previous day.

Japan confirms 1st case of Omicron variant

Photo taken on Nov. 29, 2021, shows quarantine staff working at Narita airport near Tokyo. A man in his 30s was found to be infected with the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus after arriving from Namibia at the airport near Tokyo on Nov. 28, in Japan's first case of infection by the heavily mutated strain.

Baseball agent Joel Wolfe

Photo taken in November 2019 shows baseball agent Joel Wolfe, who represents Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki.

Fire at Hitachi Transport System warehouse in Osaka

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows smoke rising after a fire broke out at a Hitachi Transport System Ltd. warehouse in Osaka on Nov. 29, 2021.

Fire at Hitachi Transport System warehouse in Osaka

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows smoke rising after a fire broke out at a Hitachi Transport System Ltd. warehouse in Osaka on Nov. 29, 2021.