Japanese Astronaut Will Join NASA’s Artemis Mission to the Moon: Biden

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after their bilateral meeting at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on May 23, 2022. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

President Joe Biden said on May 23 that a Japanese astronaut will board NASA’s Artemis mission to the moon, as the United States and Japan seek to expand civil space cooperation.

During a press briefing with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, Biden said the partners are committed to sending a Japanese astronaut to the Gateway Station, a planned international space station that would orbit the moon.