MATSUYAMA, Ehime Pref. (Kyodo) Astronaut candidate Takuya Onishi, an All Nippon Airways copilot, made his last commercial flight Wednesday.
Onishi's father, Koichi, 62, and mother, Kazuko, 57, were invited to take the flight to Tokyo's Haneda airport from their hometown of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture.
"I will give it my all on my last flight," Onishi, 33, said before departure.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency selected Onishi and Kimiya Yui, a 39-year-old officer in the Air-Self Defense Force, as astronaut candidates last month.
"I had mixed feelings at first because it is a high-risk job, but I would like to celebrate a dream come true for my son," Koichi Onishi said.
