Toyohiro Akiyama, 1st Japanese to go to space, dies at 84

TOKYO - Toyohiro Akiyama, the first Japanese to fly into space and a former journalist, has died, a relative said Tuesday. He was 84.

The Tokyo native became an astronaut through an internal screening process at Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc., staying at the Mir space station in December 1990 and becoming known for his first words in space, "Am I on air?"