News from Japan
Date: Sep 1, 2026, 18:38 (JST)
Toyohiro Akiyama, Japan’s First Astronaut, Passes Away at 84
Toyohiro Akiyama, who made history as the first Japanese citizen to travel to space in 1990, has died at his home in Odai, Mie Prefecture. He was 84.
Born in Tokyo, Akiyama began his career as a reporter for Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) in 1966. He rose through the ranks and after leading the broadcaster’s Washington bureau, he was selected to participate in a Soyuz mission to the Soviet Union in December 1990.
During his time aboard the Mir space station, Akiyama conducted various experiments, including one involving frogs, and famously asked, “Am I on air?” during a live broadcast.
After leaving TBS in 1995, he shifted focus to organic farming in Tamura, Fukushima Prefecture, and later served as a professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design from 2011 to 2018. In his later years, he resided in Odai.
Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.
Keywords: Jiji Press
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