2 Japan astronauts to land on moon in NASA-led Artemis program

TOKYO -- Two astronauts from Japan will set foot on the moon through the lunar exploration program led by NASA, under a basic agreement reached by the Japanese and U.S. governments, it was learned on Sunday.

The U.S.-led Artemis program aims to put humans on the moon for the first time since the Apollo program of the 1960s and '70s. Japanese astronauts were already set to be part of the crew of the Gateway space station that will orbit the moon, and the two governments have been ironing out details such as the number of Japanese astronauts who will touch down on the lunar surface.