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

Firefighters rescue people with a raft in a flooded area in the Fukuoka Prefecture city of Kurume on Aug. 14, 2021, following torrential rain in southwestern Japan. (Kyodo)

Giant panda Saihin is pictured on her third birthday on Aug. 14, 2021, at the Adventure World amusement park in the Wakayama Prefecture town of Shirahama, western Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

People visit Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine on Aug. 15, 2021, the 76th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. The Shinto shrine honors more than 2.4 million war dead. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attend a memorial ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II at Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo on Aug. 15, 2021. Some 180 people took part in the ceremony -- the lowest attendance since the event started in 1963 -- with the government limiting the number of people present amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A worker at a beauty salon paints over a large photo of a woman on the wall in Kabul on Aug. 15, 2021, following news that the Taliban swept into the Afghan capital. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A countdown clock in front of JR Tokyo Station on Aug. 16, 2021, shows seven days before the Aug. 24 opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics. Organizers decided the same day to hold the games without spectators. (Kyodo)

Photo taken on Aug. 17, 2021, shows the athletes' village for the Tokyo Paralympics in the capital's Harumi waterfront district, which formally opened the same day ahead of the Aug. 24 opening ceremony of the games. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Taliban soldiers are pictured at the entrance of Afghanistan's international airport in Kabul on Aug. 17, 2021, two days after the Taliban swept into the capital. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Photo taken on Aug. 18, 2021, shows the interior of a self-driving electric vehicle in the Aichi Prefecture city of Nagoya, central Japan. A test run of the vehicle was conducted on a public road the same day. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A man wearing a mask for protection against the coronavirus walks in Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on Aug. 17, 2021. The Japanese government decided the same day to expand the virus state of emergency to seven more prefectures, including Hyogo, in view of the recent resurgence of infections in wider areas of the country. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 18, 2021, at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, his major league-leading 40th homer of the season. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
 
Chinese athletes taking part in the Tokyo Paralympics arrive at Narita airport near Tokyo on Aug. 19, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Dutch athletes taking part in the Tokyo Paralympics arrive at Narita airport near Tokyo on Aug. 19, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The Paralympic three agitos are seen in Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront area on Aug. 20, 2021. The symbol was installed in the area the same day ahead of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics on Aug. 24. (Pool photo) (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
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Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - August 7~13

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - July 31 ~ Aug 6

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - July 24~30　

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - July 17~23