In the evening, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda conversed with Mr. Akihiko Hoshide, an astronaut assigned to the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo" of the International Space Station (ISS), at the Prime Minister's Office.

Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide is expected to conduct an approximately four-month mission on the ISS as a flight engineer aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-05M space ship launched in July. His tasks include the operation of experiments in the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo" and operating and maintaining the ISS.

Together with Dr. Satoshi Furukawa, an astronaut who served as moderator, and students from Meikei Junior High School and Meikei High School in Ibaraki Prefecture and Futakotamagawa Elementary School in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Prime Minister Noda conversed with Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide for approximately 30 minutes.