Japan and beyond: Week in Photos

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

Sept. 16

Japan's Momiji Nishiya wins the fourth Paris Olympics qualifying event in the women's street event, with the Tokyo Games gold medalist also securing her first win on the World Skateboarding Tour. (Kyodo)

A vehicle believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives at a theater in Vladivostok, Russia. Kim also inspected combat aircraft and a frigate with the country's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, according to local media. (Kyodo)

Japan trounces Peru in straight games in their women's Olympic volleyball qualifying tournament opener in Tokyo. Two berths in next year's Paris Olympics are up for grabs. (Kyodo)

Sept. 17

No. 7 maegashira Takayasu overcomes a tough challenge from fellow former ozeki and No. 11 Mitakeumi in a long, heated match, on the eighth day of the 15-day meet during the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan. (Kyodo)

The Yomiuri Giants' Yuki Okada scores the winning run in the ninth inning as Yakult Swallows catcher Yuhei Nakamura collects the throw in their Central League game at Tokyo Dome. The Giants improved their chances of reaching the Central League playoffs with the win. (Kyodo)

The Asakusa Samba Carnival, a late-summer Tokyo highlight, returns after a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with sounds of passionate Brazilian music and explosive percussion filling a street in downtown Asakusa, drawing 300,000 spectators. (Kyodo)

Sept. 18

89-year-old Seiichi Sano, recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest person to surf, poses for a photo with his surf board at a wave machine facility in Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Respect for the Aged Day. (Kyodo)

Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki seeks international backing at a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting for his opposition against a plan to relocate a U.S. military base within the southern Japan prefecture. (Kyodo)

Sept. 19

Japan's financial watchdog begins searches at offices of major used car dealer network Bigmotor Co. and casualty insurer Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. as part of a high-profile insurance fraud investigation. (Kyodo)

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledges that Japan will contribute 3 billion yen ($20 million) to help achieve a world without nuclear weapons, a goal he has described as his life's work as a lawmaker representing a constituency in Hiroshima. (Kyodo)

Sept. 20

Japan's Paris Olympics-bound Yui Susaki, Tsugumi Sakurai and Yuka Kagami won their respective women's freestyle weight divisions at the wrestling world championships, with Nonoka Ozaki also triumphing in the non-Olympic 65-kilogram category. (Kyodo)

Local specialty "kiritampo" using recently harvested rice is made in front of the press at a restaurant in the northeastern Japan city of Akita. "Kiritampo" -- mashed rice cooked on a skewer that is then grilled -- is often cooked with meat and vegetables in soups. (Kyodo)

The Orix Buffaloes become the first Pacific League team to win three straight championships since 1994, as they clinched the pennant with a 6-2 win over the Lotte Marines. (Kyodo)

Sept. 21

New gaming PCs are among the exhibits that drew the most attention from visitors to this year's Tokyo Game Show, one of the world's biggest gaming events, with the organizer expecting some 200,000 people to attend the four-day trade fair. (Kyodo)

Japan's Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Crown Princess Kiko are in Hanoi for an official visit to Vietnam to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries. (Kyodo)

Sept. 22