China on Wednesday launched an astronaut into space aboard the Shenzhou V craft in an historic mission which makes it only the third nation to achieve the feat.

"We sincerely congratulate (China on) its success. We hope for the safe performance (of the spacecraft) to ensure its safe return," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda.

Japan's science and technology minister Takeo Kawamura expressed his admiration for Chinese technology.

"The manned space mission indicates that China possesses sophisticated space technology. I deeply respect that," Kawamura said.

Fukuda said, however, that Japan was not necessarily behind China, when asked to respond to the suggestion that China now seems to be ahead of Japan in space technology.

"I don't think we are necessarily behind. There are many things that can be achieved with unmanned missions. Japan has its way of doing things," Fukuda said.

Japan's space programme has focused on unmanned rocket launches as the nation tries to enter the commercial satellite launch market and put up its own spy satellites to monitor potentially threatening activity in North Korea.

The Japanese programme, however, has been dogged by a series of technical problems with the nation's H-2A rocket and its predecessors.

SPACE.WIRE