Japan and beyond: Week in Photos

Here is a selection of Kyodo News photos taken this week in Japan and beyond.

April 6

Noto Railway in Ishikawa Prefecture, which suspended services following the deadly earthquake on New Year's Day, fully resumes its operations. (Kyodo)

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito and his son Prince Hisahito visit a biotope at Tamagawa University's College of Agriculture in Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture. (Kyodo)

The Imazu Lighthouse, the oldest functioning wooden lighthouse in Japan that dates back to the 19th century, is lit for the first time in about eight months since being relocated to make room for new disaster prevention infrastructure in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. (Kyodo)

April 7

Max Verstappen continues his dominance of the 2024 Formula One season with an easy win in the Japanese Grand Prix, while Japan's Yuki Tsunoda completed some heroic overtakes to finish 10th and score his first-ever point in his homeland. (Kyodo)

People rally near the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, as the day marks exactly six months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. (Kyodo)

The slopes of Mt. Yoshino in Nara Prefecture turn pale pink, with some 30,000 cherry trees approaching full bloom. (Kyodo)

April 8

Japan launches ride-hailing services in Tokyo, with other areas across the country to follow suit in a bid to address a nationwide shortage of taxi drivers. (Kyodo)

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force carrier Kaga is shown to the press at the Kure base in Hiroshima Prefecture, after the completion of the first phase of its modification work, including changes to the ship's bow. (Kyodo)

A total solar eclipse moved across a wide area of Mexico and the United States as well as Canada, with local media reporting millions of people sharing in the celestial show at viewing events and other gatherings. (Kyodo)

The total eclipse could be seen from land beginning in the late morning in part of Mexico, with the path of totality stretching to the northeast through U.S. states such as Texas, Arkansas and Indiana. (Kyodo)

April 9

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicks off a series of engagements during his official visit to Washington, including securing a $2.9 billion investment in his country from U.S. tech giant Microsoft Corp. in the area of intelligence. (Kyodo)

April 10

Holding a green onion that has unexpectedly become a political weapon for opposition parties to attack South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a supporter of the main opposition Democratic Party makes fun of the country's leader on parliamentary election day in Seoul. (Kyodo)

Japanese Princess Aiko visits Meiji Jingu shrine to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the death of Empress Shoken, wife of Emperor Meiji. (Kyodo)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a joint press conference at the White House in Washington. (Kyodo)

April 11

The season's first auction for high-quality mangoes, named "Taiyo no Tamago" (Egg of the Sun), is held at a wholesale market in the southwestern Japan city of Miyazaki. (Kyodo)

A Shinto ritual is held at a beach on Amami-Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan as it opens for swimming the same day. (Kyodo)

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama gets off to a slow start in his bid for a second Masters Tournament title, the 2021 champion carding a 4-over-par 76 in the opening round of the PGA Tour's first major of the year at Augusta National Golf Club. (Kyodo)

April 12

Ayu Yoneda, the doctor-turned-candidate astronaut for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, makes remarks in front of University of Tokyo freshmen at a matriculation ceremony held at the Nippon Budokan arena. The 29-year-old graduate of the nation's top university is one of seven competing for two slots allocated to Japan under the U.S.-led Artemis Moon exploration program. (Kyodo)

Princess Kako, the younger daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito, visits Meiji Jingu shrine in Tokyo to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the death of Empress Shoken, wife of Emperor Meiji. The empress died on April 11, 1914. (Pool photo) (Kyodo)