TOYOHIRO AKIYAMA

'Toyohiro Akiyama' (秋山豊寛 ''Akiyama Toyohiro'', born July 22, 1942) is a Japanese TV journalist best known for his trip to the Mir space station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 1990.
Born in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan, he became a reporter for the Japanese TV company TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System), and also worked for the BBC World Service between 1967 and 1971.
He was selected for cosmonaut training on August 17, 1989, as a journalist sponsored by TBS. He passed through standard cosmonaut training course in Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. He flew on Soyuz TM-11 to Mir in December 1990, returning on Soyuz TM-10 spending a total of 7 days, 21 hours, and 54 minutes in space. He was the first Japanese citizen in space and therefore can be called the first Japanese cosmonaut. The first Japanese professional astronaut was Mamoru Mohri.
After his spaceflight, he became Deputy Director of TBS News Division. In 1995, he resigned from TBS to pursue private interests.
His hobbies include sailing, hiking, swimming, later he also became an active balloonist. He is married with two children.

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★ Spacefacts biography of Toyohiro Akiyama