Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama received a courtesy call from Mr. Koichi Wakata, an astronaut, at the Prime Minister's Office. Astronaut Wakata, who was aboard the space shuttle Discovery launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) this March, returned to the Earth in July after completing a 4.5-month long-term mission on the International Space Station (ISS).

Using models of a space shuttle and the ISS that he brought with him, Astronaut Wakata explained to the Prime Minister their mechanisms. While asking questions, Prime Minister Hatoyama listened to the explanation attentively.