
An unearthed engine that is likely from a Hien fighter aircraft
14:03 JST, March 12, 2023
HIGASHI-OMI, Shiga — The engine of a World War II fighter plane was unearthed at a construction site in Higashi-Omi, Shiga Prefecture. The engine appears to be the type that was used in Hien aircraft, and as few are known to still exist, it is considered a precious discovery.
The Hien was developed by what is now Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., and about 3,000 were manufactured from 1941 to 1945. Some were used in kamikaze attacks.
The unearthed engine is about 1.5 meters long, about 0.8 meters tall and about 0.8 meters wide. Construction workers found it in late January.
The Japan Aeronautic Association and an air and space museum in Gifu Prefecture analyzed photos of the engine, and they determined that various characteristics matched the engine used in Hien aircraft.
According to records, the Imperial Japanese Army, which deployed the Hien, had an airfield about 7 kilometers southeast of the construction site where the engine was found. How it came to be buried in that location is unknown.
“Judging from the relatively good condition of the engine, it’s unlikely that the airplane crashed or made an emergency landing,” said a Japan Aeronautic Association official. “It may have been brought there for unknown reasons during the chaotic period just after the end of the war.”
A citizens group is keeping the engine for the time being and plans to exhibit it in the future.

A Hien fighter jet is displayed at the Gifu-Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum in Gifu Prefecture.
"Features" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Neko Pitcher
-
Fukuoka: Red Trolley Train Runs Through Mountainous Village; Passengers Get Once-in-a-Month Experience
-
Red Carpet of Shirley Poppies in Bloom at Western Tokyo Park; Total of 1.8 Million Flowers Fill Area
-
‘Rice Meister’ Shares Tips on How to Cook Tasty Stockpiled Rice; Soaking, Adding Sake Among Tricks to Restore Old Rice
-
Giant Butterbur Harvest Peaks in Hokkaido;Edible Plant Grows Taller Than an Adult
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Toyoda to Become Automobile Business Association of Japan Chairman; to Help Guide U.S. Tariff-Affected Industriessns
-
Visitors to Japan Hit Single-Month Record High in April
-
Japanese Researchers Develop ‘Transparent Paper’ as Alternative to Plastics; New Material Is Biodegradable, Can Be Produced with Low Carbon Emissions
-
Japan to Introduce Car Fuel with Up to 10% Biofuels from Fiscal 2028; Limited Rollout Expected at Areas with Refineries
-
Tokyo Experiences Temperatures Exceeding 30 C for 1st Time This Year; Other Parts of Japan also See Soaring Temperatures