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

Oct. 21

Crowds gather outside JR Shibuya Station in Tokyo. A large billboard in the background urges revelers not to come to the Shibuya Station area for Halloween, as the district fears crowding could escalate to potentially dangerous levels. (Kyodo)
 
South Africa's Handre Pollard (R) and England's Freddie Steward compete for a high ball during the second half of a Rugby World Cup semifinal match at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France. (Kyodo)
 
Huge crowds of supporters gather for a welcome home rally for Pakistan's self-exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Lahore, Pakistan. (Kyodo) 
 

Oct. 22

A first-generation Toyota Crown leads a group of vintage cars to start a parade along a public road in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, during a classic car festival organized by Toyota Automobile Museum. (Kyodo) 
 
Big torches burn during the annual Kurama Fire Festival in Kyoto. The festival is said to have originated in 940 when the worshipped deity was transferred from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to Yuki Shrine and was welcomed by people who carried torches. (Kyodo)
 

Oct. 23

Texas Rangers players celebrate after securing a place in the MLB World Series with an 11-4 victory over the Houston Astros in the final game of the best-of-seven American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston. (Kyodo)
 
Cosmos are in full bloom at Tottori Hanakairo flower park in Nambu, Tottori Prefecture, western Japan. (Kyodo) 

 

Oct. 24

Specially cultivated apples in the northeastern Japan city of Hirosaki carry pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Arch of Triumph, Mona Lisa, French President Emmanuel Macron and other French iconography. Some apples will be sent as a gift to the presidential office in France. (Kyodo)
 
Japan's new wheelchair tennis star Tokito Oda plays in the men's singles at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China. (Kyodo)

 

Oct. 25

Nissan Motor Co.'s Hyper Force all-electric concept sports car is displayed during a press day of the Japan Mobility Show at Tokyo Big Sight hall in Tokyo. (Kyodo)

A deer is pictured in a residential area in Sapporo, Hokkaido, northern Japan. A number of calls have been made lately to report a deer sighting in the city. (Kyodo) 

Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue announces at a press conference in Yokohama that he will fight Marlon Tapales of the Philippines on Dec. 26 at Tokyo's Ariake Arena in a bid to unify all four super bantamweight belts. (Kyodo) 

Oct. 26

Liverpool's Wataru Endo (far L) scores with a header in the first half of a Europa League Group E match against Toulouse in Liverpool, England, on Oct. 26, 2023. (Kyodo) 
Andrea Rubio (C) of Venezuela is pictured after winning the 2023 Miss International Beauty Pageant in Tokyo on Oct. 26, 2023. (Kyodo)

A forest of colorful autumn trees reflects off the surface of Lake Tsutanuma in Towada, Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Oct. 26, 2023. (Kyodo)

 

Oct. 27

Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang dies of a heart attack at age 68 in Shanghai, according to official Chinese media, with his sudden death just months after retiring shocking the country. Pictured is a closed-off street near the Shanghai hospital where the former premier was reportedly taken. (Kyodo)
 
Iwao Hakamata, a death-row inmate accused of a 1966 quadruple murder, is innocent, his sister says in the first hearing of his retrial, likely to lead to his exoneration. The 87-year-old was exempted from attending the retrial at the Shizuoka District Court, as his mental state has deteriorated after spending nearly half a century behind bars before new evidence led to his release in 2014. He was seen leaving for a stroll in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in the afternoon. (Kyodo)
 
The statue of monk Roben (689-773) is previewed at the Hokkedo hall within the Todaiji temple in Nara, western Japan, before the national treasure's special showing from Oct. 28. Also known as Ryoben, he was the founder and first head administrator of the ancient temple known for the Great Buddha statue. 2023 marks 1,250 years since his death. (Kyodo)

Related coverage:

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Oct. 14~20

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Oct. 7~13

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Sept. 30~Oct. 6