Makoto Suwa

Makoto Suwa is a Japanese climate scientist and JAXA astronaut, born in Tokyo in 1977 and raised in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, who previously worked as a Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist at the World Bank's Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. He was selected by JAXA on February 28, 2023, alongside Ayu Yoneda, becoming the oldest JAXA astronaut candidate selected at age 46, completed basic training and received flight certification on October 21, 2024, and on January 9, 2025, JAXA announced his assignment to a long-duration International Space Station mission planned for 2027. He holds a doctorate in climate science from Princeton University, previously served as a lecturer in Rwanda with the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, and has not yet flown to space.