Here is a selection of Kyodo News photos taken this week in Japan and beyond.
Feb. 3
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan win silver in the pairs at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai. Compatriot Yuma Kagiyama bagged the men's title and Shun Sato finished second, while Mone Chiba picked up the women's gold medal with Rinka Watanabe earning the bronze. (Kyodo)
Iran eliminates Asian Cup favorites Japan in the quarterfinals of the tournament after Alireza Jahanbakhsh's injury-time penalty delivered a 2-1 victory for Team Melli at Al Rayyan's Education City Stadium. (Kyodo)
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani attends the annual DodgerFest fan event in Los Angeles, saying through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara that he is "very confident" of being the team's designated hitter when they open the season on March 20 against the San Diego Padres in Seoul. (Kyodo)
Feb. 4
The Sapporo Snow Festival opens in the capital of Hokkaido without any COVID-related restrictions for the first time in four years. The festival, one of the country's biggest winter events, is being held at three venues in Sapporo through Feb. 11, with about 190 snow and ice sculptures including some created by local residents. (Kyodo)
Feb. 5
A museum showcasing the works of Japan-born digital art collective teamLab is unveiled to the media in Tokyo's new landmark Azabudai Hills complex. The museum houses about 50 works that make use of projectors and various lights. (Kyodo)
Tokyo and neighboring areas are hit by snowfall, disrupting public transportation and prompting Japan's weather agency to issue a heavy snow warning across the capital. (Kyodo)
Feb. 6
Over 140 people were taken to hospitals in Tokyo after falls due to heavy snowfall in eastern Japan. (Kyodo)
Japan opens its medal account at the world aquatics championships with a bronze in artistic swimming team technical. (Kyodo)
Men hold up burning torches during a traditional festival at Kamikura Shrine in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture. (Kyodo)
Feb. 7
Tacaquito Usui attends a press conference in western Japan city of Okayama, after a Japanese court recognized the transgender man's petition to legally change his gender without having first undergone sterilization, in a ruling believed to be the only of its kind in Japan. (Kyodo)
Japan rugby head coach Eddie Jones (2nd from L) kicks a ball during a training session in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka. (Kyodo)
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi (C) is pictured during a preseason match against Vissel Kobe at Tokyo's National Stadium. (Kyodo)
Feb. 8
Sota Fujii, who holds all eight shogi titles, poses after defending the Osho title 4-0 in a best-of-seven series against Tatsuya Sugai in Tachikawa, western Tokyo. Fujii clinched his first title, Kisei, in July 2020, and won or defended all 19 title matches he has fought since then. (Kyodo)
Japanese Princess Kako visits an Arita ware pottery in Arita in Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan. (Kyodo)
Japan's Reo Nishida (L) and Shuta Yamada perform in the men's 10-meter synchronized diving competition at the world aquatics championships in Doha. (Kyodo)
Feb. 9
Russians fly into North Korea's Pyongyang International Airport aboard an Air Koryo plane, likely marking the arrival of the first foreign tourist group in the country since the government of leader Kim Jong Un imposed strict COVID-19 border restrictions in January 2020. (Kyodo)
Lawyer Reiko Fuchigami is elected the new president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, slated in April to be the country's first woman to helm a key part of the judicial system consisting of lawyers, prosecutors and judges. (Kyodo)
Back number:
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Jan. 27-Feb. 2
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Jan. 20-26
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Jan. 13-19
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Jan. 6-12
