Here is a selection of Kyodo News photos taken this week in Japan and beyond.
Jan. 13
Taiwan's Vice President Lai Ching-te, who heads the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, declares victory in the Jan. 13 presidential election and vows to protect the self-ruled island amid China's unrelenting pressure on Taiwan. (Kyodo)
The two-day unified university entrance examinations are held at 668 venues across Japan, including at the University of Tokyo. (Kyodo)
Jan. 14
Clad in colorful festive kimono, young men and women celebrating their coming-of-age draw their bows at an annual New Year "kyudo" archery event at Sanjusangendo temple in Kyoto. (Kyodo)
Japanese macaques soak in an open-air hot spring at the Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden in Hakodate in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Visitors can watch the snow monkeys frolicking in the bath until early May. (Kyodo)
Jan. 15
Naomi Osaka losses in the first round of the Australian Open to French 16th seed Caroline Garcia 6-4, 7-6(2). The former world No. 1 was making her Grand Slam return after the birth of her first child, a daughter, last July. (Kyodo)
A maglev train tunnel work site in Kawasaki near Tokyo is shown to the media ahead of full-fledged drilling set to begin around September. JR Central's Linear Chuo Shinkansen bullet trains service will link Tokyo and Osaka in about one hour. (Kyodo)
Donald Trump secures a landslide victory in the opening contest for the Republican presidential nomination in Iowa, reinforcing his determination to clinch the November election and revive his "America First" policy. (Kyodo)
Jan. 16
Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka loses to world No. 8 Holger Rune of Denmark in the first round of the men's singles at the Australian Open 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 at Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena. With Nishioka's loss, all seven Japanese have been eliminated from singles play. (Kyodo)
Jan. 17
Horses run at the National Livestock Breeding Center's snow-covered Tokachi ranch in Otofuke, Hokkaido, in northern Japan as they are urged to run as part of winter exercise. (Kyodo)
Bamboo lanterns are lit in a park in Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture on the 29th anniversary of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,000 people. (Kyodo)
Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows drift ice off Mombetsu in Hokkaido, northern Japan. (Kyodo)
Jan. 18
Sekiwake Daieisho (R) beats rank-and-file wrestler Wakamotoharu on the fifth day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. (Kyodo)
Japan's national team players train on the eve of their Group D match against Iraq at the Asian Cup football tournament in Al Rayyan, Qatar. (Kyodo)
Jan. 19
The largest faction in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party says it has decided to disband, as a political funds scandal involving the group formerly led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has deepened public distrust in politics. (Kyodo)
Japanese Emperor Naruhito, in a poem recited at the annual Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading, reflects fondly on the warm welcome he and his wife Empress Masako have always received during official visits across Japan. (Kyodo)
Back number:
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Jan. 6-12
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Dec. 30-Jan. 5
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Dec. 23-29
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Dec. 16-22
