Two astronauts chosen for the role by Japan's space agency in February have spoken to reporters in Tokyo before they begin training together.

Suwa Makoto and Yoneda Ayu were selected as astronauts in the first screening process in the country in 14 years.

They gave their first in-person joint news conference on Monday at a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, location in Tokyo.

Suwa was there as a JAXA team member for the first time. He said he is excited about the prospects that await him in his new role, to which he pledged to dedicate himself. He went on to say he will give much thought to ways in which he can contribute.

Yoneda has been making regular appearances at the agency's Tokyo outpost since April and has undergone some training ahead of Suwa.

She said that over the past three months she has gained a sense of both the vast timescale in which the aerospace industry operates and the expansive connections within and between organizations in the field.

She said she is pleased to start training with Suwa.

They are due to be qualified as fully fledged astronauts in about two years, after completing training that will include stints at facilities belonging to US space agency NASA.