Number Nine Research Laboratory
Encyclopedia
The , also called the , was a military development laboratory run by the Imperial Japanese Army
from 1937 to 1945. The lab, based in Noborito
, Tama-ku, Kawasaki
, Kanagawa Prefecture
, Japan
focused on clandestine activities and unconventional warfare, including energy weapons, intelligence and spycraft tools, chemical and biological weapons, poisons, and currency counterfeiting. One of the weapons developed by the lab was the fire balloon
, thousands of which were launched against the United States
in 1944 and 1945. The unit, which at its peak was staffed by 1,000 scientists and workers, was disbanded upon Japan's defeat at the end of World War II
.
On 7 April 2010, a museum, called the Noborito Institute for Peace Education, was opened at the lab's former site. The museum exhibits artifacts from the lab and gives information on the unit's mission and operations. The museum sits on the Ikuta campus of Meiji University
.
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
from 1937 to 1945. The lab, based in Noborito
Noborito
is a neighborhood located in Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan just across the southwestern border of Tokyo metropolis on the Tama River approximately 18 minutes south of Shinjuku on the Odakyu Odawara Line Express....
, Tama-ku, Kawasaki
Tama-ku, Kawasaki
is one of the 8 wards of the city of Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 211,221 and a density of 10,310 persons per km². The total area was 20.49 km².-Geography:...
, Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
focused on clandestine activities and unconventional warfare, including energy weapons, intelligence and spycraft tools, chemical and biological weapons, poisons, and currency counterfeiting. One of the weapons developed by the lab was the fire balloon
Fire balloon
A , or Fu-Go, was a weapon launched by Japan during World War II. A hydrogen balloon with a load varying from a incendiary to one antipersonnel bomb and four incendiary devices attached, they were designed as a cheap weapon intended to make use of the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean and wreak...
, thousands of which were launched against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1944 and 1945. The unit, which at its peak was staffed by 1,000 scientists and workers, was disbanded upon Japan's defeat at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
On 7 April 2010, a museum, called the Noborito Institute for Peace Education, was opened at the lab's former site. The museum exhibits artifacts from the lab and gives information on the unit's mission and operations. The museum sits on the Ikuta campus of Meiji University
Meiji University
is a private university in Tokyo and Kawasaki, founded in 1881 by three lawyers of the Meiji era, Kishimoto Tatsuo, Miyagi Kōzō, and Yashiro Misao. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Japanese universities in Tokyo, Japan....
.