CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Christmas gifts have arrived at the International Space Station, courtesy of Japan.

A Japanese cargo ship pulled up at the orbiting lab Tuesday, four days after launching. The capsule — called Kounotori, or white stork — contains nearly 5 tons of food, water, batteries and other supplies. NASA says there also are Christmas presents for the two Americans, three Russians and one Frenchman on board.

Barely two weeks ago, a Russian supply ship was destroyed shortly after liftoff. At the same time, one of NASA’s main suppliers, SpaceX, is grounded.

The astronauts need the six new lithium-ion batteries for next month’s spacewalks. They will replace the old nickel-hydrogen batteries that store energy generated by the station’s big solar panels.