Japan's Naomi Osaka visits Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary ahead of the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 29, 2023. (Photo by Patrick Hamilton/AFP Photo)

Japan's delegation gather to sign the formal surrender document on the U.S. Navy battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay in a September 2, 1945 file photo. (Photo by Reuters/US Navy)

Water is seen discharged over the traditional farm houses at Shirakawa-go, the UNESCO World Heritage site on November 9, 2014 in Shirakawa, Japan. This annual drill is held to prevent fire. (Photo by Kaz Photography/Getty Images)

Fast food got a whole new meaning in Hokkaido, Japan, where a vole was captured fleeing from a fox in the first decade of January 2025. (Photo by Hiroki Inoue/Solent News)

A humanoid robot works side by side with employees in the assembly line at a factory of Glory Ltd., a manufacturer of automatic change dispensers, in Kazo, north of Tokyo, Japan, July 1, 2015. Japanese firms are ramping up spending on robotics and automation, responding at last to premier Shinzo Abe's efforts to stimulate the economy and end two decades of stagnation and deflation. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)

Sara Takanashi of Japan, Maja Vtic from Slovenia and Germany's Carina Vogt (R-L) prepare for a training session of the women's Individual normal hill HS100 ski jumping at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun February 18, 2015. (Photo by Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)

Switzerland's lead Nicole Schwaegli (L) and second Marisa Winkelhausen sweep during their curling round robin game against Japan at the World Women's Curling Championships in Sapporo March 14, 2015. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

People dressed in Samurai costume and helmet march during the annual Himeji Castle Festival on August 3, 2013 in Himeji, Japan. The parade of Castle Queens is part of the traditional matsuri festival around the UNESCO world heritage Himeji Castle. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)