Japanese Experiment Module

ISS JAXA JEM module

JEM Kibo module in assembly

The Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Kibō (希望, Hope) is the Japanese contribution to the International Space Station and is produced by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

It consists of 4 components:

The Pressurized Module (PM) is the core component. It is of cylindrical shape, 11.2 m long and 4.4 m in diameter. It contains 10 standard payload racks (ISPRs).
The Exposed Facility (EF), also known as 'Terrace' is located outside the port cone of the PM (which is equipped with an airlocked hatch). Experiments are fully exposed to the space environment here.
The Experiment Logistics Module (ELM) contain a pressurized section to serve the PM and an unpressurized section to serve the EF. It is placed atop the port side of the PM, and is highly movable. It is intended as a storage and transportation module.
The Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) is a robotic arm, mounted at the port cone of the PM, intended to service the EF and to move equipment from and to ELM.

On May 30, 2003 the PM left Japan for John F. Kennedy Space Center. As of August 2004, NASA plans to launch the entire JEM complex in three flights:

Experiment Logistics Module (ELM) PS - November 2007 (Shuttle flight STS-123).
Kibo Pressurized Module (PM), JEM Sys Racks, Remote Manipulator System (JEM RMS) - February 2008 (Shuttle flight STS-124).
Exposed Facility (EF) - October 2008 (Shuttle flight STS-127).

[edit] Trivia

Kibō is the largest single ISS module. At the start of the program, it was the smallest, but the other partners, Europe and the US, reduced the size of their respective laboratory modules, while the dimensions of Kibō never changed.