Japan has an increasingly ambitious space programme and last month began to set up its first space laboratory, which was blasted off on the US space shuttle Endeavour.

• 日本在太空探索方面的“野心”越来越大，日本已于上月开始在国际空间站建立其首个太空实验室，该实验室是由美国“奋进号”航天飞机送入太空的。