astronaut koichi wakata will embark on his fourth mission near the end of the year aboard the russian soyuz spacecraft. he is scheduled to stay on the international space station until the end of the year. in the final two months, he will serve as commander, the first japanese astronaut to do so. >>> japan's population has are a record drop, it shrank in 2012 for the sixth year in a row. this is the largest annual decline since records became available. estimates from the health and welfare ministry suggest 1.03 million people were born in 2012, the lowest number since end of world war ii. more than 1.24 million died, the second most in postwar era. about 8,000 more died in 2011 when the earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern japan. the total population decreased by a record 210,000. before 1950, an average japanese woman had more than four children during her lifetime. in 2012, that figure stood at 1.39, about the same as it was the year before. the population is expected to continue aging and declining yo. >>> thousands of people waiting to go home. tons of debris waiting for dispo