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Letters and Messages |
Remarks by Consul-General Nozomu Takaoka
at
Japanese Movie Night: “Space Brothers (Uchuu Kyodai)”
in Space Center Houston
on February 4 , 2015
February 4, 2015
Good evening everyone. My name is Nozomu Takaoka and I am the Consul-General of Japan in Houston. Thank you for joining us to enjoy tonight’s movie entitled “Space Brothers,” which was quite popular when it was released in Japan in 2012.
For many Japanese, including me, the first time we ever heard the city called Houston was when we were watching the satellite TV with images of Mr. Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in 1969. Since then, Houston has been synonymous with space and space exploration in many parts of the world, including Japan.
Therefore, 46 years later in Houston, I am very happy and proud to learn that Japan and the United States, JAXA and NASA, work together in space. The contributions by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency include an unmanned space vehicle named kounotori, which brings supplies up to the International Space Station without a pilot.
JAXA is also proud to have talented astronauts here in Houston such as Mr. Kimiya Yui, who will join the crew of the International Space Station in orbit in just a few months, and astronaut Koichi Wakata, who made history last year as the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Wakata . . .