April 12, 2012

Takeshi Usui (left), executive director of Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank based in Gifu Prefecture, explains the biometric authentication technology used in the company's new ATM machine during a news conference in Nagoya on Wednesday. Customers can withdraw money simply by scanning their palms and keying in their date of birth and password, eliminating the need for cards and bank books. The bank said this will come in useful in the event of natural disasters and other emergencies.

KYODO PHOTO

April 12, 2012

A man and his son look at jellyfish at Kamo Aquarium in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, over the weekend. Officials say the aquarium was recently recognized by Guinness World Records for its exhibition of 30 species of jellyfish.

KYODO PHOTO

April 11, 2012

Texas Rangers hurler Yu Darvish pitches to Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. He allowed four first-inning runs but settled down over five-plus innings to earn the win in his major league debut. Texas beat Seattle 11-5.

KYODO PHOTO

April 10, 2012

Rescued Japanese tourists walk toward a bus upon their arrival at Chaklala air base in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Sunday after being trapped by sectarian violence in the area. About 120 foreign tourists — 77 from Japan — were airlifted to Islamabad on a military plane before the Japanese headed for Narita International Airport on Monday.

AP

April 8, 2012

A bride and groom walk under cherry trees in full bloom during their wedding ceremony Saturday in Ritsurin Park in the city of Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture.

KYODO

April 5, 2012

Damaged roofs on temporary housing are covered with plastic sheets Wednesday in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture. The residents — evacuees of the March 11, 2011, disasters — witnessed the fury of Mother Nature again as a severe storm swept through the Tohoku region Tuesday.

KYODO PHOTO

April 5, 2012

Minori Sato, 18, one of about 120 new students at Fukushima University and the author of a drama about Fukushima's recovery, attends an entrance ceremony at the university Wednesday. Sato drew national attention last fall when Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda quoted a line from the drama in his policy speech: "To be born in Fukushima, grow up in Fukushima . . . have children in Fukushima . . . and to end our days in Fukushima. That is our dream."

KYODO PHOTO

April 5, 2012

Osaka Toin's Yuya Kasamatsu scores on Yukiya Mizutani's sacrifice fly during the third inning of the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament final Wednesday at Koshien Stadium. Osaka Toin defeated Kosei Gakuin 7-3 to win the event for the first time.

KYODO PHOTO

April 2, 2012

The nearly 100-year-old Tokyo Station building is seen on Sunday. Renovation work, which started in 2007, is scheduled to end in October.

KYODO PHOTO

April 1, 2012

People view the nascent flowers on a "someiyoshino" cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Saturday. Tokyo's cherry trees started blooming on Saturday, five days later than usual, and the short-lived blossoms are expected to reach their peak within seven to 10 days, according to the Meteorological Agency.

KYODO

April 1, 2012

"Maiko" apprentice geisha perform in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, ahead of the spring performance of "miyako odori" (dance of the capital), which kicks off Sunday.

KYODO

March 28, 2012

AKB48 member Aki Takajo interacts with children at Thompson Elementary School in Washington on Monday. She was one of three AKB48 members who visited the school to introduce Japanese culture while conveying messages of gratitude from the people of Japan for U.S. help following last year's disasters.

KYODO PHOTO

March 28, 2012

A boy hams it up with bronze statues representing characters from the "Sazae-san" manga-anime series that were unveiled Sunday in the Sakura-Shinmachi district of Setagaya Ward, Tokyo. Machiko Hasegawa, the late author of the series, lived in the area for many years. The local shop owners' association had the statues erected to attract customers to the area.

KYODO PHOTO

March 27, 2012

Priests and carpenters participate Monday in a ceremony at Ise Shrine called Jotosai, where the ridge pole of the main sanctuary building is raised. The wooden shrine in Mie Prefecture is in the process of being rebuilt, which takes place every 20 years when an identical main sanctuary is built next to the current one. The replacement will be completed in October.

KYODO

March 26, 2012

Ground Self-Defense Force troops and local fire fighters burn fields in an area used for military exercises in Shizuoka Prefecture on Sunday. About 1,100 personnel took part in the burnoff, which was the first since three people were accidentally killed by fires in 2010.

KYODO PHOTO

March 22, 2012

A stray cat from the no-go zone around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is kept in a cage Saturday at Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture. The Environmental Ministry and the Fukushima Prefectural Government are trying to save pets left behind by evacuees and find new owners.

KYODO PHOTO

March 22, 2012

"Someiyoshino" cherry blossoms come out in Kochi on Wednesday. The first someiyoshino this spring arrived a day earlier than usual. The blossoms are expected to be out in full force in the Kochi area in the next 10 days.

KYODO PHOTO

March 22, 2012

Women in ninja costumes pose at a gymnasium in Karaji, Iran. About 3,000 women are now training in Iran to be ninja, according to reports.

UPI/KYODO

March 21, 2012

Employees of AKB48 Cafe & Shop Hakata pose during a media preview before the Fukuoka store opened Tuesday. The shop joins two in Tokyo, in the Harajuku and Akihabara districts, with the pop idol group AKB48 as the theme.

KYODO PHOTO

March 20, 2012

Students graduating from tsunami-hit Minami Kesennuma Elementary School in Miyagi Prefecture ring what the school calls the Bell of Friendship on Monday ? the school's last day before it is integrated with another institution from which it has been renting rooms since the waves struck last March.

KYODO

March 19, 2012

Daichi Sato (right), a high school student from the town of Misato, Miyagi Prefecture, and six other people from the disaster-hit Tohoku region take a run Saturday near Dodger Stadium during the 5-km warmup race for the LA Marathon. The students agreed with Sato, who lost his father to the tsunami, to wear T-shirts for the race with the word "Help" printed on them to emphasize the need for continued public support for the March 11 orphans.

KYODO PHOTO

March 19, 2012

Irish citizens and local enthusiasts march down Omotesando Dori in Tokyo's Harajuku district during a St. Patrick's Day parade Sunday, a day after the official March 17 date of the Irish holiday devoted to the fifth-century missionary.

YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO

March 16, 2012

Shoto Abe, captain of the Ishinomaki Technical High School baseball team from Miyagi Prefecture, practices Saturday at Nirayama High School in Izunokuni, Shizuoka Prefecture. A year after the Tohoku disasters, the team is getting ready for the national invitational tournament that kicks off March 21 in Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture.

AP

March 14, 2012

A giant flaming torch is carried along the balcony in front of Nigatsudo Hall at Todaiji Temple in the city of Nara on Monday night during the Omizutori ritual that has been conducted without interruption every year since 752. Monks prayed for peace and a good harvest, and mourned the loss of lives in the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami.

KYODO PHOTO

March 12, 2012

A woman prays in front of a family tomb in a cemetery near the sea in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Sunday morning.

KYODO PHOTO

March 11, 2012

People offer flowers at a cenotaph in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday for those who died in the Great Tokyo Air Raid of March 10, 1945. The memorial service was attended by Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara and relatives of the more than 100,000 casualties.

KYODO

March 10, 2012

The last launch ceremony for a commercial ship is held at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Kobe shipyard Friday. The yard, opened in 1905, built commercial vessels for more than 100 years but will now specialize in making submarines and nuclear-related equipment.

KYODO

March 9, 2012

A water tank for seals is shown to the media Thursday during a preview of Kyoto Aquarium near JR Kyoto Station. The three-story facility, which opens Wednesday, will have 250 kinds of animals on display, including dolphins, sea turtles, rays and denizens of the nearby Kamo River.

KYODO

March 7, 2012

U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos picks up an orange on a visit to the U.S. pavilion at Foodex Japan 2012 on Tuesday at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture. The 37th International Food and Beverage Exhibition runs through Friday, with nearly 2,400 firms participating from 72 countries and regions.

YOSHIAKI MIURA