The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the selection of two new astronaut candidates, Ayu Yoneda, and Makoto Suwa, from over 4,000 applicants on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Phys.org reports that this is the first time in over 13 years that JAXA has named new astronauts, as well as the first time that a surgeon and a climate scientist have been chosen for the program.
It has been over 20 years since Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese astronaut, went to space on the Space Shuttle in Sept. 1992.
Meet Japan's Newest Astronauts
University of Tokyo's School of Medicine graduate Yoneda, a surgeon at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo, is just the third woman chosen for the JAXA space training program in history. She is 28 years old.
When asked about the predominantly male space program, Yoneda responded, "Of course there are factors such as age and gender, and I think that men and women are often viewed in different ways, but I myself would like to put forth my best first as an astronaut candidate rather than as one that is a young female."
Suwa, a senior disaster risk management specialist at the World Bank, was selected following an unsuccessful application he submitted more than ten years ago.
Upon learning of her selection, Yoneda shared that she felt joy, surprise, and "a sense of responsibility and mission." Speaking via video from the United States, Suwa expressed his delight at the prospect of joining the Japanese space training program.
Suwa, who grew up in Tsukuba, a city that houses research institutes and JAXA facilities, hopes to use the moon as a stepping stone to discovering how the climate of Mars evolved. "By learning about the Moon, by learning about Mars, we not only learn about those celestial bodies themselves but also we learn about our planet," Suwa explained.
A Japan Times report tells us that a manga comic about Japan's first female astronaut Chiaki Mukai inspired Yoneda to become an astronaut. Yoneda's objective is to investigate how space travel affects human health.
"We will see an era where many people will go to space. The duration and distance of those stays will become extended. As a physician, I believe I can do my part to learn about what happens to human bodies in space," she stated.
Next Step of the Space Training Program
Following a joint US-Japanese plan to land a Japanese astronaut on the moon by the end of the decade, the pair will start a two-year training program, after which they may join missions to the International Space Station and become the first Japanese astronauts to visit the moon.
In 2021, JAXA removed the requirement that astronaut candidates have advanced scientific or engineering degrees, leading to a more diversified pool of applicants.
Hiroshi Yamakawa, President of JAXA, said he hopes to conduct another round of recruitment in five years, focusing on finding astronauts who can bring space programs closer to the public.
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