Hatoyama calls astronaut Noguchi in space

Hatoyama calls astronaut Noguchi in space

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (R) waves to Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, who is at the International Space Station for a five-month mission, from the prime minister office in Tokyo during a video conference on Jan. 7, 2010, with Education, Culture, Sports and Technology Minister Tatsuo Kawabata and elementary school children from Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, looking on.

Hatoyama calls astronaut Noguchi in space

Hatoyama calls astronaut Noguchi in space

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama speaks to Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, who is at the International Space Station for a five-month mission, from the prime minister office in Tokyo during a video conference on Jan. 7, 2010.

Matsusaka cow gets top prize amid mad cow scare

Matsusaka cow gets top prize amid mad cow scare

TSU, Japan - Dairy farmer Yukio Noguchi and his Yuki, a three-year-old cow which won this year's top Matsusaka prize, a stamp of approval by Japan's most prestigious brand of beef, poses for picture in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, on Nov. 28, 2001. Yuki won the prize at a fair in the prefecture known for its succulent beef, beating out 49 other chubby competitors.

Matsusaka cow gets top prize amid mad cow scare

Matsusaka cow gets top prize amid mad cow scare

TSU, Japan - Dairy farmer Yukio Noguchi and his Yuki, a three-year-old cow which won this year's top Matsusaka prize, a stamp of approval by Japan's most prestigious brand of beef, poses for picture in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, on Nov. 28, 2001. Yuki won the prize at a fair in the prefecture known for its succulent beef, beating out 49 other chubby competitors.

Hatoyama calls astronaut Noguchi in space

Hatoyama calls astronaut Noguchi in space

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama speaks to Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, who is at the International Space Station for a five-month mission, from the prime minister office in Tokyo during a video conference on Jan. 7, 2010. (Kyodo)

Hatoyama calls astronaut Noguchi in space

Hatoyama calls astronaut Noguchi in space

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (R) waves to Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, who is at the International Space Station for a five-month mission, from the prime minister office in Tokyo during a video conference on Jan. 7, 2010, with Education, Culture, Sports and Technology Minister Tatsuo Kawabata and elementary school children from Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, looking on. (Kyodo)