Eighty-four-year-old Mori Tajima (front row center), winner of the 29th Itoen Oi Ocha New Haiku Contest and recipient of the Minister of Education Science and Technology Award, poses for a photo with 16-year-old Kazuki Horinouchi (back row, third from right), winner of the English haiku category in the same competition, and Itoen President Daisuke Honjo (front row left) during the award ceremony at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo on July 5. | YOSHIAKI MIURA
Eighty-four-year-old Mori Tajima (front row center), winner of the 29th Itoen Oi Ocha New Haiku Contest and recipient of the Minister of Education Science and Technology Award, poses for a photo with 16-year-old Kazuki Horinouchi (back row, third from right), winner of the English haiku category in the same competition, and Itoen President Daisuke Honjo (front row left) during the award ceremony at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo on July 5. | YOSHIAKI MIURA

Egyptian Ambassadsor Ayman Kamel (second from right) and his wife, Ghada, pose for a photo with Komeito chief Natsuo Yamaguchi (left) and Foreign Minister Taro Kono (right) during a reception to celebrate Egypt's national day at the ambassador's residence on July 2. | YOSHIAKI MIURA
Egyptian Ambassadsor Ayman Kamel (second from right) and his wife, Ghada, pose for a photo with Komeito chief Natsuo Yamaguchi (left) and Foreign Minister Taro Kono (right) during a reception to celebrate Egypt's national day at the ambassador's residence on July 2. | YOSHIAKI MIURA

Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Cuong (second from left) and his wife, Hoang Thi Minh Ha (left), pose for a photo with journalist Junko Katano (center), pianist and conductor Toshiki Usui, and koto player Fuyuki Enokido at a reception to celebrate the state visit of Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and 45 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan at the Vietnamese Embassy in Tokyo on July 6. yoshiaki miura |
Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Cuong (second from left) and his wife, Hoang Thi Minh Ha (left), pose for a photo with journalist Junko Katano (center), pianist and conductor Toshiki Usui, and koto player Fuyuki Enokido at a reception to celebrate the state visit of Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and 45 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan at the Vietnamese Embassy in Tokyo on July 6. yoshiaki miura |

Belgian Ambassador Gunther Sleeuwagen (left), honorary chairman of the Belgian Beer Weekend Committee, poses for a photo with Shintaro Konishi, president of Konishi Brewing Co. and chairman of the Belgian Beer Weekend Committee, during a news conference at the Belgian Embassy on July 5. | YOSHIAKI MIURA
Belgian Ambassador Gunther Sleeuwagen (left), honorary chairman of the Belgian Beer Weekend Committee, poses for a photo with Shintaro Konishi, president of Konishi Brewing Co. and chairman of the Belgian Beer Weekend Committee, during a news conference at the Belgian Embassy on July 5. | YOSHIAKI MIURA