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JAXA astronaut Makoto Suwa to join ISS crew in 2027
STAFF WRITER Jan 9, 2026
Makoto Suwa will be the eighth Japanese astronaut to conduct a long-duration stay on the ISS. | BLOOMBERG
By Jessica Speed
Astronaut and former World Bank official Makoto Suwa has been assigned to a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station around 2027, Japan’s space agency announced Friday.
“I feel deeply honored and truly happy to have been given the opportunity to make even a small contribution as part of this outstanding program,” Suwa told reporters Friday at a news conference organized by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
“I believe a relay baton has been passed steadily from one (Japanese) astronaut to the next,” he added. “I want to receive that baton firmly and hand it on properly when the time comes for the next mission.”
This will be Suwa’s first spaceflight. He will be the eighth Japanese astronaut to conduct a long-duration stay on the space station, and this will be the 15th mission involving Japanese astronauts.
The 49-year-old joined JAXA in July 2023 along with Ayu Yoneda, 30, a former physician with the Japanese Red Cross, as part of JAXA’s first astronaut recruitment in 13 years. Both completed basic training and were certified as astronauts in October 2024.
Since November of that year, Suwa has been based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the United States, engaging in relevant training in order to be ready for a mission.
As a long-duration space station crew member, he will be expected to carry out operations including maintenance and upkeep of facilities — such as Japan’s Kibo module — as well as scientific experiments.
Suwa earned his master’s degree in geosciences at Princeton University in June 2007. He later worked at the United Nations World Meteorological Organization before joining the World Bank in 2014, where he served as a senior disaster risk management specialist.
During Friday’s conference, Suwa noted that the space station is scheduled to be deorbited at the end of 2030.
“We are entering a period where the end is in sight,” he stated. “This may be the time to put the finishing touches on the scientific achievements accumulated so far, and to look ahead to the future.”
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/09/japan/japanese-astronaut-makoto-suwa-spaceflight/【THE ROAD TO BECOME A JAXA ASTRONAUT】宇宙飛行士候補者基礎訓練（Astronaut candidates basic training)
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