Japan has welcomed in the New Year with a traditional bell-tolling ceremony at the Tokudai-ji temple in Tokyo, BBC reported.
January 1 is a major national holiday in Japan - homes and temples are cleaned on New Year's Eve in preparation for the change of year.
In Tokyo, people gathered at the Tokudai-ji temple to offer prayers for the coming year before a bell tolled at midnight.
Celebrations have been scaled back or cancelled in South Korea following the Muan air crash on Sunday in which 179 people died.
Australia’s Sydney saw in 2025 with a spectacular fireworks display - cheers erupted as the clock struck midnight and the skies lit up over the harbor.
Auckland in New Zealand was the first large city to see the arrival of the New Year.
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