Japanese Astronaut Suwa to Stay Aboard ISS Until Around 2027; Japan’s 8th Astronaut to Have Long-Term Stay Aboard ISS

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:54 JST, January 10, 2026

Makoto Suwa will become the 8th Japanese astronaut to complete a long-term stay aboard the International Space Station starting around 2027, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has announced.

The mission, which will be Suwa’s first in space, will mark the 15th long-term stay by a Japanese astronaut, according to JAXA.

“I want to firmly take the baton from other Japanese astronauts and pass it on to the next generation,” Suwa, 49, said at a press conference on Friday.

Suwa, a former senior disaster risk management specialist at the World Bank, was selected as a candidate astronaut in 2023. Officially certified as an astronaut in 2024, he has undergone training through NASA’s Johnson Space Center with astronauts from Europe, the United States and others, including on how to operate the robotic arm and hatches used on the ISS.

He will also undergo training on the scientific experiments that he and other astronauts will conduct aboard the ISS.