A rare winter spectacle known as Diamond Fuji, in which the sun rises directly from the summit of Mount Fuji, illuminated the skies over the Takashimo district of Fujikawa Town in Yamanashi Prefecture on the morning of December — a seasonal scene that can be viewed only for a short period through early January. (News On Japan)

Ueno Zoo’s panda will be returned to China in late January, according to an announcement made by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on December 15th, prompting long lines at the zoo on the morning of December 16th as visitors gathered to catch a final glimpse and shared their sadness over the approaching farewell. (News On Japan)

Japanese nationals were detained by local authorities on December 11th in a facility believed to be a hub for special fraud schemes in the southern Cambodian city of Sihanoukville, according to information conveyed to the Japanese embassy in Phnom Penh. (News On Japan)

Dr Mark Chavez, one of five people who pleaded guilty in the Friends star's death, was sentenced to eight months of home detention.

In the interview, Wiles describes Donald Trump as having an "alcoholic's personality" and JD Vance as having been a "conspiracy theorist" for a decade.

Carmakers, particularly in Germany, have lobbied heavily for concessions to the planned rules.

The move is seen as a further escalation of the Trump administration's war on drugs in Latin America.

The move is seen as a further escalation of the Trump administration's war on drugs in Latin America.

The US accuses Rwanda of backing the rebel advance in breach of a deal brokered by President Trump.

The US accuses Rwanda of backing the rebel advance in breach of a deal brokered by President Trump.

Carmakers, particularly in Germany, have lobbied heavily for concessions to the planned rules.

The US has carried out more than 20 strikes in international waters on alleged drug vessels since September.

The footprints date back some 210 million years and show traces of toes and claws.

The footprints date back some 210 million years and show traces of toes and claws.

Sajid Akram had "limited" contact with his family in Hyderabad since moving to Australia 27 years ago, a police official said.

Satellite images show the paramilitary force is burying and burning bodies, Yale University researchers say.

Satellite images show the paramilitary force is burying and burning bodies, Yale University researchers say.

DTEK boss Maxim Timchenko says the intensity of Russian strikes is so frequent there is no time to recover.

DTEK boss Maxim Timchenko says the intensity of Russian strikes is so frequent there is no time to recover.

World Heritage–listed Himeji Castle is undergoing its traditional year-end clean-up as Self-Defense Forces personnel remove a year’s worth of dust and debris. The annual effort, known as the Himeji Castle Clean Operation, is carried out each year around this time by SDF personnel stationed in the city as part of their training, and roughly 350 members took part this year. (News On Japan)