Japan is set to start supplying new food to the International Space Station next year, including ramen, curry and rice, and mackerel cooked in miso.

They are all on the list of 28 Japanese space food items approved last year by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, which wanted to include not only traditional meals but also normal household fare.

Russia and the United States are the only nations providing food out of the 15 countries taking part in the construction of the ISS, a project begun in 1998 and scheduled for completion in 2010. Japan is in charge of building the manned experiment module named Kibo.