Through the Lens: The Year in pictures in Asia, January to June

Our photographers and editors have put together a collection of images and videos from 2024, conveying in powerful visuals the events that helped define Asia from January to June. Often inspirational and sometimes tragic, these photos are Nikkei Asia's way of commemorating the recent past as we turn to 2025.

January

Police search for missing people in the Japanese city of Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, on Jan. 7, six days after a magnitude-7.6 earthquake hit the area. The powerful quake prompted a major tsunami warning in the prefecture, in addition to toppling buildings and sparking fires. At least 203 people were confirmed dead and 68 remained missing as of Jan. 10. (Photo by Masyumi Tsumita)

A Japan Airlines plane collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft while landing at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Jan. 2, forcing hundreds of passengers to escape before the jetliner was engulfed in flames. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

A worker makes woven bamboo lanterns ordered for the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival at a workshop on Jan. 12 in Meishan, China. (Photo by Zhang Zhongping/Getty Images)

Indian pilgrims gather in a bus after visiting the ancient Pashupatinath Temple, one of the most sacred sites in Hinduism, in Kathmandu on Jan. 12. Every year, millions of Nepalese and Indians visit Hindu shrines in both countries to pray for success and the well-being of their loved ones. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP)

Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te attends a rally following his victory in the country's presidential elections, in Taipei on Jan. 13. (Photo by Kento Awashima)

"I panicked when I ran out of bullets and had to reload," said a high school student who participated in a shooting class. Taiwan, which is under growing pressure from China over unification, has extended the period of military service imposed on those aged 18 or older from four months to one year starting this year.

Female soldiers perform during a Republic Day parade in New Delhi on Jan. 26. Women from India's army, navy and air force marched in a display of diversity and empowerment, an event which showcased domestically produced weapons in an apparent show of strength amid a border dispute with China. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

February

A disabled man who sells tissues to drivers sits in front of a wall covered with Indonesia election posters in Jakarta on Feb. 8. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

Prabowo Subianto speaks at an election rally as a woman who fainted is carried away on Feb. 10. Prabowo was officially elected in March as Indonesia's next president, succeeding Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at the helm of Southeast Asia's largest economy in October. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

A person uses an umbrella against the falling slow in Tokyo on Feb. 5. Snowfall in Japan's capital and neighboring areas that day disrupted public transportation and prompted the weather agency to issue a heavy snow warning across the affected areas. At least 109 people were taken to the hospital in Tokyo through the next morning after many slipped and fell due to the icy conditions. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)

People of the Miao ethnic group attend the Tiaodong Festival on Feb. 14 in Longli, China. The Miao perform the "tiaodong," meaning "dance in a cave," to celebrate the coming of spring. (Photo by Qin Gang/Getty Images)

For the Solomon Islands, closer relations with large countries are meant to offer greater economic and social stability. But in forging closer ties with China, the Pacific island nation has become more volatile.

Workers sort harvested tangerines in Meishan, China, on Feb. 23. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, China was estimated to have produced a world-leading 20.5 million tonnes of tangerines in 2023, or about 58% of global output. (Photo by Getty Images)

March

A woman walks along the beach in the Arahama district of Japan's Miyagi prefecture on March 13. The area was among those heavily damaged by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. The 13th anniversary of the tragedy was marked by nationwide mourning for the more than 22,000 people who died or remain missing. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita)

Beijing's main shopping district is mostly empty on the evening of March 10: Consumer spending in China has been lackluster in recent months. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)

A nearly empty shopping mall in central Beijing on March 10: China is grappling with weak consumption, youth unemployment and huge local government debts as the economy continues to slow. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)

Volunteers serve food for iftar, the meal marking the end of the daily fast observed by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan, at a free meal distribution point run by a charity group in Lahore on March 13. (Photo by AP)

Tourists enjoy scenery on the bank of White Sand Lake on Pamir Plateau on March 18 in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. (Photo by Sun Tingwen/Getty Images)

Rohingya refugees stand on a capsized boat as a rescuer throws them a rope in the waters off West Aceh, Indonesia, on March 21. The bodies of three refugees were found in the sea as fishers rescued 75 people from the vessel. About 1 million of the predominantly Muslim Rohingya live in Bangladesh as refugees from Myanmar. (Photo by Reuters)

April

A sightseeing boat cruises under a canopy of cherry blossoms on the Lake Biwa Canal in Otsu, Japan, on April 4. The cruise route was extended this spring, enabling direct access to the Port of Otsu on Lake Biwa from Kyoto. The cherry tree-lined waterway has become a popular attraction for foreign and domestic tourists alike. (Photo by Yo Inoue)

Workers clear debris at the site of a collapsed building, following an earthquake in Hualien, Taiwan, on April 4. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Lightning illuminates the sky behind a gunner on a Thai military armored vehicle as he keeps watch along the Moei river, under the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot, Thailand, on April 12. (Photo by Sakchai Lalit/AP)

May

Evacuees board a warship in the Indonesian port of Tagulandang following a series of eruptions of Mount Ruang, a volcano in Sitaro, North Sulawesi province, on May 1. The volcanic activity sparked flight cancellations and airport closures. (Photo by Antara Foto/Reuters)

Tourists take photos at a popular photography spot near Mount Fuji in Yamanashi prefecture on May 3. Citing safety concerns, local officials have attempted to stop visitors from jaywalking as they try to photograph the mountain. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

Villagers use a long bamboo pole to cut down a hive from a cliff near Taap in Lamjung, Nepal, on May 29. For generations, the Gurung community in Taap, about 175 kilometers west of Kathmandu, has scoured the steep Himalayan cliffs for honey. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

June

Japanese anime is facing a new threat, copyright infringement made easy by artificial intelligence. A Nikkei investigation reveals how AI-generated anime is flooding the internet. Websites that allow users to share images created by generative AI are being flooded with depictions that more than resemble well-known characters. Nikkei investigated about 90,000 images and found about 2,500 with multiple similar features to the original artwork.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate outside party headquarters on the day of the general election results in New Delhi on June 4. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he arrives at BJP headquarters in New Delhi on June 4. Modi posted on X: "People have placed their faith in NDA (the National Democratic Alliance), for a third consecutive time! This is a historical feat in India's history." (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

A Tata Motors electric vehicle makes its way down a busy street in the Paharganj district of New Delhi, a popular tourist area, on June 7. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

Couples celebrate the passing of Thailand's marriage equality bill during a ceremony at the Government House in Bangkok on June 18. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)