Akihiko Hoshide

Akihiko Hoshide was born on 28 December 1968 in Tokyo and educated across two continents, reflecting an internationalist bent that would characterize his career. After schooling that included time at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore, he completed a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Keio University in 1992 and a master's in aerospace engineering at the University of Houston in 1997. He joined Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA) in 1992, working on development of the H-II launch vehicle and later supporting astronaut training and operations. In February 1999 he was selected as one of three Japanese astronaut candidates for the International Space Station, was certified in 2001, and went on to become one of JAXA's most seasoned spacewalkers.

Hoshide flew three times over thirteen years. His first mission, STS-124 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, launched on 31 May 2008 and delivered the main pressurized module of Japan's Kibō laboratory to the ISS — a centerpiece of Japan's contribution to the station. In 2012 he returned for a long-duration stay across Expeditions 32 and 33, launching on a Soyuz and becoming the third Japanese astronaut to walk in space; during one marathon spacewalk with NASA's Sunita Williams he worked to replace a failed Main Bus Switching Unit, and he captured a widely shared self-portrait in the vacuum of space, an image that became one of the era's iconic EVA photographs. His third flight came aboard SpaceX Crew-2 on the Crew Dragon Endeavour, launching on 23 April 2021 for the roughly 199-day Expedition 65. Days into that mission he assumed command of the station, becoming only the second Japanese astronaut to lead the ISS, after Koichi Wakata. Across his career he performed four spacewalks — three in 2012 and one in 2021 — and long held the record for cumulative spacewalk time by a Japanese astronaut.

Hoshide's significance lies in both engineering and leadership: he helped install and maintain some of the station's most critical hardware, from the Kibō module to power-distribution systems, and his command of Expedition 65 confirmed that Japanese astronauts had become trusted leaders of multinational crews. A recipient of the NASA Space Flight Medal and Japan's Medal with Purple Ribbon, he has been a consistent advocate for U.S.–Japan space cooperation. He remains an active member of the JAXA astronaut corps, and with Japan committed to the international lunar Gateway and the Artemis program, his experience positions him among the veterans shaping his nation's next steps beyond low Earth orbit.