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Star Wars-themed folding screen displayed at Kyoto temple

Sep 12, 2017 (Japan Times) - A folding screen painted in ink featuring main characters of the Star Wars movie was unveiled Tuesday at Byodoin, a Buddhist temple on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in Kyoto Prefecture, ahead of the release of the latest episode in December.

The movie’s famous robot characters R2-D2 and C-3PO, as well as villain Kylo Ren, were painted on the screen by Masayuki Kojo, 39, a local painter.

Rian Johnson, director of the new release “The Last Jedi,” praised the painting as amazingly beautiful at a ceremony held at the temple in Uji, south of Kyoto.

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Multiple rare earth elements essential for high-tech products have been confirmed in mud extracted from the deep seabed off Minamitorishima, Japan's easternmost island.

Average life expectancy in Japan rose for both men and women last year for the first time in two years, with Japanese women retaining the world's top ranking for the 41st consecutive year.

A 37-year-old Chinese woman has been arrested and referred to prosecutors on suspicion of operating an unlicensed taxi service that transported travelers from Kansai International Airport to a hotel in Kyoto.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency conducted a ground firing test of the second-stage engine for its Epsilon S small solid-fuel rocket at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on July 23.

Kuwana in Mie Prefecture recorded 40.6 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature anywhere in Japan this year, as a powerful high-pressure system and hot downslope winds combined to produce dangerous heat across a wide area.

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