Naoko Yamazaki is a Japanese astronaut and aerospace engineer. She was born on November 27, 1970, in Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan. Yamazaki became the second Japanese woman to fly in space when she participated in the NASA STS-131 mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in April 2010. Yamazaki graduated from Tamagawa University with a degree in aerospace engineering and later earned a master's degree from Chuo University. She joined the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 1999 and has contributed to various space missions and research projects throughout her career.