How many J-astronauts does it take to change a light?

[Taro Toporific]

[floatl][/floatl]
Q: How many Japanese astronauts does it take to change a light?
A: One, but you'll have to wait, "until after 2010."

Number of burned-out lamps on Japanese space lab nears half
Mainichi Japan - September 15, 2008
Almost half of the 21 fluorescent lamps aboard Japan's experimentation module Kibo on the International Space Station (ISS) have burned out, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said...
....JAXA is developing a lighting system using light-emitting diodes that will not burn out, but it cannot get it to the Kibo module until after 2010...more...

Ok, ok, to be fair, Japan whines that they were American lamps.

[Buraku]

typical for the Japan space agency, make a mess and be unable to remedy it

One interesting development to look out for is the HTV
http://www.friends-partners.org/partners/mwade/craft/nashicle.htm
I think it might be a success
its an unmanned craft to the station and can be serviced via a robotic arm
it was to originally fly in 2001 but a few Japanese rockets exploding, design issues and the 2003 Shuttle tragedy kept pushing its launch date back

[Bucky]

Perhaps there will be enough around to change a light bulb or two.

Dozens of astronauts and cosmonauts will touch down in Seattle this month.
They should feel right at home. We're home to the Science Fiction Museum, the Museum of Flight and Boeing, after all - as well as the first reported UFO sighting, when Kenneth Arnold spotted nine flying saucers back 1947.
The Association of Space Explorers Congress, a non-profit organization of more than 300 space travelers, will hold sessions downtown and at the Museum of Flight Sept. 15-19.
This is only the third time the 21-year-old convention has been held in the United States.
A limited number of seats are available to the public for sessions featuring Apollo astronaut Bill Anders, Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter and Valentina Tereshkova - the first woman in space. See the program here.

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/147999.asp

I'm headin' over to the Japanese Consul General's palatial estate to a reception where they will trot out Akihiko Hoshide (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/hoshide-a.html).

Get to see me a real live spaceman!