Meijiro rushing to the ceremony. The members of the group who visited with Mr. HASHIMA are in the back row.
HASHIMA Yoshitaka, a second-year student at Hongo High School, was the 100,000th person who visited the museum. On that day, approximately 290 students from the high school were visiting as part of a field trip. At the ceremony celebrating this milestone, Director YAMADA Akira (Professor at the School of Arts and Letters) presented Mr. HASHIMA with original goods from the museum and a book written and signed by the Director as commemorative gifts.
The museum opened in March 2010 on the site of the former Imperial Japanese Army Noborito Research Institute on the Ikuta Campus, and celebrated its 15 year anniversary in March 2025. It disseminates information about the actual conditions of the Noborito Research Institute, which served as a secret war base during World War II, to promote peace education, history education, and science education both within and outside the university.
Recently, the book Girls Making Balloon Bombs by KOBAYASHI Erika, a winner of the 78th Mainichi Publishing Culture Award, has attracted attention, and the related exhibition “Operation Balloon Bomb and Preparations for the Final Battle: The War Experienced by Young Women” has also been very well received. The exhibition has been extended and will now run until August 30.
Students who visited the museum shared their impressions, saying, “Thinking about the feelings of the people involved in the research made me feel sad,” “Although it was a world I knew nothing about, I felt a connection to the current war in Ukraine and became more interested in it,” “I felt pain in my heart imagining the feelings of people who couldn’t talk about their lives,” and “I thought war was only for men, but I was surprised to learn that girls were making balloon bombs.” Director YAMADA stated, “We will continue to convey information about war and peace in a multifaceted and easy-to-understand manner,” and reaffirmed his commitment to this goal in light of this milestone achievement.
Noborito Laboratory Museum exterior
The museum opened in March 2010 on the site of the former Imperial Japanese Army Noborito Research Institute on the Ikuta Campus, and celebrated its 15 year anniversary in March 2025. It disseminates information about the actual conditions of the Noborito Research Institute, which served as a secret war base during World War II, to promote peace education, history education, and science education both within and outside the university.
Recently, the book Girls Making Balloon Bombs by KOBAYASHI Erika, a winner of the 78th Mainichi Publishing Culture Award, has attracted attention, and the related exhibition “Operation Balloon Bomb and Preparations for the Final Battle: The War Experienced by Young Women” has also been very well received. The exhibition has been extended and will now run until August 30.
Students who visited the museum shared their impressions, saying, “Thinking about the feelings of the people involved in the research made me feel sad,” “Although it was a world I knew nothing about, I felt a connection to the current war in Ukraine and became more interested in it,” “I felt pain in my heart imagining the feelings of people who couldn’t talk about their lives,” and “I thought war was only for men, but I was surprised to learn that girls were making balloon bombs.” Director YAMADA stated, “We will continue to convey information about war and peace in a multifaceted and easy-to-understand manner,” and reaffirmed his commitment to this goal in light of this milestone achievement.