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

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan performs during a gala exhibition of the World Team Trophy figure skating competition at Maruzen Intec Arena Osaka on April 18, 2021, in Osaka. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (C) waves upon returning to Tokyo's Haneda airport on April 18, 2021, following a visit to the United States for talks with President Joe Biden. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
A small boat carrying a Tokyo Olympic torch relay runner crosses a river in Ino in Kochi Prefecture, western Japan, on April 19, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
A large screen in a press center in China's southern island province of Hainan shows the country's president, Xi Jinping, giving an online speech at the Boao Forum for Asia on April 20, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Cherry blossoms bloom near Hirosaki Castle in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 21, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
A statue symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels is pictured on April 21, 2021, in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. A South Korean court dismissed the same day a damages lawsuit brought by a group of former "comfort women" against the Japanese government over their treatment during World War II. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Photo taken at Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo on April 21, 2021, shows a ritual offering Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga sent to the shrine earlier in the day. Suga made the "masakaki" tree offering during a spring festival of the Shinto shrine, seen by China and South Korea as a symbol of Japan's past militarism as it honors convicted war criminals along with more than 2.4 million war dead. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Shohei Ohtani (L) is congratulated by Los Angeles Angels teammate Jose Iglesias after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of a game against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on April 21, 2021, the 100th home run of his combined pro career in Japan and the major leagues. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Giant panda cub Fuhin (R) and her mother Rauhin are pictured at the Adventure World amusement park in the Wakayama Prefecture town of Shirahama, western Japan, on April 22, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
People wearing face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic look at wisteria flowers at a flower park in Ashikaga in Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, on April 22, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Blue Impulse aerobatic team flies over the venue of the Tonami Tulip Fair in Tonami, Toyama Prefecture, on April 22, 2021, its first flyover for the public in about a year. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
People cheer a Tokyo Olympic torch relay runner in Ikata in Ehime Prefecture, western Japan, on April 22, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 

 
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Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - April 10~16

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - April 3~9

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - March 27~April 2

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - March 20~26