TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's space agency said Tuesday that it has officially approved two candidates who underwent domestic training as astronauts, with expectations growing that they may join NASA's mission to the Moon.

Makoto Suwa, 47, a former disaster prevention specialist at the World Bank, and Ayu Yoneda, 29, who served as a surgeon at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, plan to move to the United States to enhance their knowledge and skills in space activities.

At the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Suwa and Yoneda, who were certified as astronauts on Monday, hope to be part of the Artemis Moon exploration program.

The Artemis program aims to send people to the lunar surface in 2026, more than half a century since the last Apollo mission. Japan, a close U.S. ally, is seeking to become the second country after the United States to land an astronaut on the Moon.

Since being selected as candidates by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in February 2023, Suwa and Yoneda have engaged in basic training, including piloting a plane, health management in outer space and electrical engineering.

Suwa and Yoneda became the first astronauts approved by JAXA since 2011, when Kimiya Yui, 54, Takuya Onishi, 48, and Norishige Kanai, 47, were certified. JAXA now has seven astronauts, two of whom are expected to participate in the Artemis program.