Japan's science minister has announced that two Japanese astronauts have been chosen for future missions to the International Space Station.

Science minister Hagiuda Koichi told reporters on Friday that Wakata Koichi will head to the ISS sometime around 2022, and Furukawa Satoshi around 2023.

File this one to the "we'll believe it when we see it" folder. Toyota is apparently now the owner of a patent for an autonomous tanker vehicle that refuels or recharges your car "on the fly." While that conjures images of a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker extending a fuel boom to an F-16, it's unclear from the filing whether the cars would be in motion or parked.

This seems to be a high-level patent, one where a company is simply staking a claim to an idea rather than having a fleshed-out product. Discovered by The Drive, it shows a nondescript boxy trailer that contains the various types of fuel. It's attached to an autonomous car that can be summoned by a customer, who provides the make and model of their car and selects different octane grades of petrol, diesel, hydrogen, or recharging for EVs. 

Japanese airlines are offering people a chance to revisit the joys of flying while the coronavirus pandemic limits air travel. They are arranging special sightseeing flights to let passengers enjoy the views from the skies.

Japan Airlines is planning a 3-and-a-half-hour flight that leaves Narita Airport and returns there on September 26. Passengers will be able to enjoy views of the sunset and star-lit sky. They will dine on in-flight meals supervised by noted chefs that are normally served on the carrier's Hawaii route.

People in Japan traditionally display colorful carp-shaped streamers for Children's Day on May 5. Yamada Town in the northeast aimed a little higher than usual this year due to the coronavirus, which has kept many kids at home for the country's week-long spring holiday.

On Tuesday, about 130 of the carp streamers were hung at a lofty 25 meters in the parking lot of the local science museum. The display makes use of two mobile cranes.

Companies are preparing to bring home employees and their families from Wuhan, a Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Japan External Trade Organization says about 160 Japanese firms are operating in and around the city.