Japan celebrates New Year

Jan 01 (NHK) - People in Japan have rung in the New Year with celebrations around the country.

Many crowded into the world-famous Shibuya scramble crossing in central Tokyo to count down to the New Year. It's a popular spot for young people and foreigners.

Hundreds of police officers patrolled the area and controlled the flow of the revelers.

Just outside of Tokyo, Kawasaki Daishi Temple is crowded with thousands of visitors. Over the next few days many others will come to pray for the health of their families in the New Year.

People in other parts of the Asia and Pacific region have also welcomed 2018. In Sydney, over a million people viewed fireworks over the city's famed harbor. The Sydney Harbor Bridge was lit in rainbow colors to celebrate the recent legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia.

Fireworks were also seen over the capital of North Korea. Its leader Kim Jong Un will deliver a New Year's address on Monday. He will probably stress his ambition to continue the nation's nuclear and missile development.

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