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World Bank staffer, surgeon picked as Japan astronaut candidates

Japan's space agency said Tuesday that it has selected a World Bank employee and a surgeon as astronaut candidates in its first recruitment drive in more than 13 years, with expectations high that they may have the chance to join an international mission to the Moon. Makoto Suwa, 46, a disaster prevention specialist at the World Bank, and Ayu Yoneda, one of the youngest ever candidates at age 28 and a surgeon at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, will join the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for two years of training. "I don't think the path ahead will be easy, but I hope to go to the Moon if possible," Yoneda told a press conference in Tokyo, as she expressed her joy after being picked from over 4,000 applicants, a record high. Suwa, who is the oldest candidate ever selected, said he felt "a great sense of responsibility," as he joined the press conference online from the United States, where he works.

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