Astronaut Wakata becomes JAXA Vice President

April 1, 2018

Tokyo- Astronaut Koichi Wakata became vice president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, on Sunday.

Wakata, 54, is the first astronaut to assume the senior post at the government-affiliated space agency, according to JAXA.

Hitoshi Kuninaka, 57, who served as project manager for JAXA's Hayabusa-2 asteroid explorer, also became vice president of the agency.

Wakata entered Japan Airlines after finishing a master's course at Kyushu University's graduate school in 1989. He was chosen as an astronaut candidate by the former National Space Development Agency of Japan, now JAXA, in 1992.

Wakata has traveled to space four times, including his first mission in January 1996 aboard U.S. Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Wakata made a long-stay mission to the International Space Station twice, in 2009 and 2013. During the second stay, he served as ISS commander, becoming the first Japanese astronaut to assume the post.

Kuninaka worked as assistant at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science after completing a doctor's course at the University of Tokyo's graduate school in 1988.

He became professor at the institute in 2005 and has been serving as its deputy head since April last year. Jiji Press