10 mil. yen raised via crowdfunding in 3 days to relocate WWII Japan fighter
The plane housed at the Shiden-Kai Museum in the Ehime Prefecture city of Ainan is the only existing Shiden-Kai fighter in Japan, but the exhibition facility is deteriorating. To pay for the plane's relocation, the Ehime Prefectural Government launched a hometown tax-type crowdfunding campaign, which reached its initial target of 10 million yen in just three days.
The crowdfunding drive was a "hometown tax" type. Under Japan's hometown tax system, people can get a deduction from their resident taxes for donating funds to a municipality of their choice. The funds in the Ehime case will be used to relocate the aircraft, a war heritage property, without placing any strain on it. As of 11 a.m. on July 18, donations had exceeded 23 million yen (around $155,000), moving closer to the final goal of 38 million yen (approx. $256,000). A prefectural official expressed surprise, stating, "We didn't expect to get so close so quickly." On July 25, the Shiden-Kai is set to receive "important aviation heritage" designation for the first time in west Japan's Chugoku and Shikoku regions, acknowledging its historical and cultural significance.
The Shiden-Kai was a state-of-the-art fighter plane introduced in earnest by the former Imperial Japanese Navy during the late stages of the Pacific War, when the country's defeat was imminent. It was deployed to an air unit at the former Matsuyama naval air base in Ehime Prefecture for the defense of mainland Japan. Although approximately 400 Shiden-Kai planes were produced, only four remain today, with just one located in Japan.
This particular aircraft was discovered in 1978 in the town of Ainan, Ehime Prefecture. It is believed to have crash-landed in Kura Bay after an aerial battle with U.S. aircraft on July 24, 1945, and was found submerged at a depth of 41 meters by a local diver. When the prefectural government salvaged it in July 1979, all four of its propeller blades were bent, but the aircraft was reportedly largely intact.
To preserve it as a legacy of the devastation of war, the prefecture restored the plane and built an exhibition hall in Ainan, opening it to the public in 1980. However, nearly half a century later, the facility has deteriorated. In fiscal 2023 plans were made to rebuild the facility on an adjacent site. While aiming for the facility's completion in fiscal 2026, an assessment of the aircraft revealed that the relocation would require reinforcement and careful transport using a specialized platform. Due to rising material costs, the total project budget swelled to approximately 970 million yen (about $6.53 million), with 48 million yen (around $323,000) allocated for the plane's relocation. This led to a call for donations to cover part of the relocation expenses.
Given the high fundraising target, the prefectural government set two stages in the crowdfunding campaign: an initial target of 10 million yen and a final target of 38 million yen. With rewards like Shiden-Kai model replicas and pin badges, the campaign began on July 1. Although it was thought it would take some time, the initial target was achieved on July 3. A prefectural official speculated that attention increased due to the 80th anniversary of World War II's end. Any funds exceeding the final target will be used to enhance the exhibition content.
The "important aviation heritage" designation by the Tokyo-based Japan Aeronautic Association recognizes the aircraft for its advanced technology at the time of development and its existence today. It will be the 13th such designation in Japan, with a certificate set to be conferred on July 25 at the site. Ehime Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura stated, "The aircraft bears the painful history of war. I hope the recognition will encourage many people to visit the exhibition hall."
The crowdfunding campaign is open until 11 p.m. on Sept. 5 on the Readyfor website. For inquiries, contact the Ehime Prefectural Government's urban development division at 089-912-2745 (in Japanese).
(Japanese original by Akiko Hirose, Matsuyama Bureau)
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10 mil. yen raised via crowdfunding in 3 days to relocate WWII Japan fighter
MATSUYAMA -- In just three days, 10 million yen (about $67,000) was raised through a crowdfunding campaign to relocate a rare "Shiden-Kai" fighter plane of the former Imperial Japanese Navy in Ehime Prefecture. The plane housed at the Shiden-Kai Museum in the Ehime Prefecture city of Ainan is the only existing Shiden-Kai fighter in Japan, but the exhibition facility is deteriorating. To pay for the plane's relocation, the Ehime Prefectural Government launched a hometown tax-type crowdfunding campaign, which reached its initial target of 10 million yen in just three days. The crowdfunding drive was a "hometown tax" type. Under Japan's hometown tax system, people can get a deduction from their resident taxes for donating funds to a municipality of their choice. The funds in the Ehime case will be used to relocate the aircraft, a war heritage property, without placing any strain on it. As of 11 a.m. on July 18, donations had exceeded 23 million yen (around $155,000), moving closer to the final goal of 38 million yen (approx. $256,000). A prefectural official expressed surprise, stating, "We didn't expect to get so close so quickly." On July 25, the Shiden-Kai is set to receive "important aviation heritage" designation for the first time in west Japan's Chugoku and Shikoku regions, acknowledging its historical and cultural significance. The Shiden-Kai was a state-of-the-art fighter plane introduced in earnest by the former Imperial Japanese Navy during the late stages of the Pacific War, when the country's defeat was imminent. It was deployed to an air unit at the former Matsuyama naval air base in Ehime Prefecture for the defense of mainland Japan. Although approximately 400 Shiden-Kai planes were produced, only four remain today, with just one located in Japan. This particular aircraft was discovered in 1978 in the town of Ainan, Ehime Prefecture. It is believed to have crash-landed in Kura Bay after an aerial battle with U.S. aircraft on July 24, 1945, and was found submerged at a depth of 41 meters by a local diver. When the prefectural government salvaged it in July 1979, all four of its propeller blades were bent, but the aircraft was reportedly largely intact. To preserve it as a legacy of the devastation of war, the prefecture restored the plane and built an exhibition hall in Ainan, opening it to the public in 1980. However, nearly half a century later, the facility has deteriorated. In fiscal 2023 plans were made to rebuild the facility on an adjacent site. While aiming for the facility's completion in fiscal 2026, an assessment of the aircraft revealed that the relocation would require reinforcement and careful transport using a specialized platform. Due to rising material costs, the total project budget swelled to approximately 970 million yen (about $6.53 million), with 48 million yen (around $323,000) allocated for the plane's relocation. This led to a call for donations to cover part of the relocation expenses. Given the high fundraising target, the prefectural government set two stages in the crowdfunding campaign: an initial target of 10 million yen and a final target of 38 million yen. With rewards like Shiden-Kai model replicas and pin badges, the campaign began on July 1. Although it was thought it would take some time, the initial target was achieved on July 3. A prefectural official speculated that attention increased due to the 80th anniversary of World War II's end. Any funds exceeding the final target will be used to enhance the exhibition content. The "important aviation heritage" designation by the Tokyo-based Japan Aeronautic Association recognizes the aircraft for its advanced technology at the time of development and its existence today. It will be the 13th such designation in Japan, with a certificate set to be conferred on July 25 at the site. Ehime Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura stated, "The aircraft bears the painful history of war. I hope the recognition will encourage many people to visit the exhibition hall." The crowdfunding campaign is open until 11 p.m. on Sept. 5 on the Readyfor website. For inquiries, contact the Ehime Prefectural Government's urban development division at 089-912-2745 (in Japanese). (Japanese original by Akiko Hirose, Matsuyama Bureau)
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