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Conversation with Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide at the International Space Station (ISS) Sunday, June 8, 2008 JAPANESE

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Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda visited the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Daiba, Tokyo, and observed exhibits together with Mr. Kisaburo Tokai, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Mr. John Thomas Schieffer, United States Ambassador to Japan, and students from the alma mater of Mr. Akihiko Hoshide, the astronaut who is a crew member of the space shuttle Discovery on its current mission. After that, Prime Minister Fukuda conversed with Mr. Hoshide at the International Space Station (ISS). At the museum, Prime Minister Fukuda visited the Space Science Experiment Module, which displayed the space habitation module for living in outer-space and space experimental devices that had been actually used by astronauts. He also observed the "Geo-Cosmos," a model of the Earth floating in the vaulted ceiling, which is a display based on the ideas of Dr. Mamoru Mori, Executive Director of the Museum. Following the observations, Prime Minister Fukuda conversed with Mr. Hoshide and Mr. Mark Kelly, Commander of Discovery, both speaking from the inboard laboratory within the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo." Mr. Hoshide also exchanged words with the students accompanying Prime Minister Fukuda. After that in a message for Mr. Hoshide, Prime Minister Fukuda said, "We have observed gradual changes of the planet Earth shown by the Geo-Cosmos, which was as large as six meters in diameter. It made me worry to see the significant changes that the model projected that we would face in 50 and 100 years from now. However, I have expectations that the research you are performing up there at this moment will produce results that will help improve the global environment. I wish you the success of your experiments, and I would like to meet you when you return home to Japan."