205 applicants pass preliminary tests in JAXA astronaut recruitment

NHK -- Jun 28

Japan's space agency has announced that 205 applicants have passed preliminary examinations in its latest astronaut recruitment.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, is looking for several new astronauts to take part in an international lunar exploration project.

The agency's first recruitment in 13 years drew the largest-ever number of applicants, at 4,127.

Two-thousand-226 applicants passed paper screening to take online exams on English, science and essay writing.

JAXA said on Tuesday that 188 men and 17 women passed the preliminary exams.

They include 61 people below the age of 30, 107 in their 30s, 31 in their 40s, and six in their 50s.