Japan's Suwa to Go on 1st Space Mission around 2027

Tokyo, Jan. 9 (Jiji Press)--Japanese astronaut Makoto Suwa will make a long-term stay at the International Space Station around 2027, marking his first space mission, science minister Yohei Matsumoto told a press conference Friday.

Suwa, 49, a former World Bank employee, and former Japanese Red Cross Society doctor Ayu Yoneda, 30, were selected as astronaut candidates in 2023 in the first recruitment for the position by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, in 13 years.

They were certified as astronauts in October 2024 after completing basic training.

At a press conference in Tokyo on Friday, Suwa said that he was "delighted and honored" to get the opportunity to go to space.

"I will carry on the work of my predecessors and then pass the baton to my successor," he said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]