I'm not really sure how I feel about this.

独立行政法人宇宙航空研究開発機構 (Dokuritsu-gyousei-houjin Uchuu Koukuu Kenkyuu Kaihatsu Kikou) is Japan's equivalent of NASA. It has to be admitted that the Japanese name is a mouthful. (And it's entirely kanji.)

So they go by JAXA, which comes from the English phrase Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency. I know that to the Japanese, English seems modern and high-tech, but it still seems a bit strange that the official logo for Japan's space agency is based on a romaji acronym from an English translation of the Japanese name. I wonder how that happened?

In case anyone's interested, this is where JAXA does its launches.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Japanese at 10:42 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 109 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Well, one of the previous agencies that combined to form JAXA was named NASDA. Which I'm certain is some sort of strange coincidence.

Of course the strangest thing is "Japan 401(k)", which has nothing to do with section 401 of anything.

Posted by: renpytom at March 12, 2009 11:16 AM (vkkAp)

2 It's not just high-tech. My new CD "Master of Master" has talk tracks, and performers sometimes use "ai" instead of "watashi" etc.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at March 12, 2009 11:25 AM (/ppBw)

3 Sure that's not "atai"?

Also, isn't international aerospace already somewhat English-biased to begin with? Lots of tower operations are done in English, for example...

Posted by: Avatar_exADV at March 12, 2009 11:34 AM (pWQz4)

4 I don't see a large square building on a featureless island with large number of piers and runways, on the linked satellite photograph

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at March 12, 2009 01:10 PM (/ppBw)

5

Avatar, it's not just "lots". By treaty, all air traffic control, everywhere in the world, is in English. Even in France.

But that doesn't have anything to do with space.

Pete, I know what you mean. It doesn't look at all like the place Hajime's dad built, does it?

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at March 12, 2009 03:58 PM (+rSRq)

6 Ah. I'd thought I'd heard that, but wasn't certain and didn't want to spout off when I wasn't sure. Thanks.

Posted by: Avatar_exADV at March 12, 2009 06:54 PM (7TgBH)

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