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

People wearing face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic walk under the blazing sun in Tokyo's Ginza area on July 10, 2021, as the mercury hits 33.4 C. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
The Olympic rings are seen on a lawn at Hibiya Park in Tokyo on July 11, 2021. The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics is scheduled for July 23. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
A lightning bolt is captured over Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront area on July 11, 2021, with an Olympic rings monument seen on the left. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
The eight players competing in the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby pose for a photo before the derby on July 12, 2021, at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Honduras' Jose Garcia (L) and Japan's Ko Itakura collide in the air during the second half of a warm-up match for the Tokyo Olympics on July 12, 2021, at Yodoko Sakura Stadium in Osaka. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
People wearing face masks walk in front of JR Tokyo Station on July 12, 2021, as the capital is put under its fourth COVID-19 state of emergency, set to last until Aug. 22, in a bid to arrest a resurgence in infections. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
A person takes a coronavirus test at a facility near Seoul Station in the South Korean capital on July 13, 2021, amid a surge in coronavirus infections. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Combined photo shows Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels pitching and hitting for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game on July 13, 2021, at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. Ohtani became the first two-way All-Star in major league baseball history. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
People visit EPSON teamLab Borderless, a digital art museum in Tokyo, on July 14, 2021. The museum was certified by the Guinness World Records as the single-artist museum that has had the most visitors in a year following its admission of 2,198,284 visitors in 2019. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Photo shows residential buildings in the athletes' village for the Tokyo Olympics in the Japanese capital on July 14, 2021, ahead of the July 23 opening ceremony of the Summer Games. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Japanese film director Mamoru Hosoda (C) receives applause from the audience after the world premiere of his new animation film "Belle" at the 74th international film festival in Cannes, southern France, on July 15, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Photo taken at a labor center in Osaka on July 15, 2021, shows a statue of a girl symbolizing Korean women who worked in wartime Japanese military brothels, which will be on display at an art exhibition, titled "After Freedom of Expression," starting there the following day. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
A countdown clock in front of JR Tokyo Station on July 15, 2021, shows seven days until the July 23 opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
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Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - July 3~9

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - June 26~July 2

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - June 19~25

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - June 12~18