KAKAMIGAHARA, Gifu Prefecture Japan –Looking much like it did about 75 years ago when it rolled off the assembly line here, the last surviving Hien (“flying swallow” – U.S. code named “Tony”) fighter aircraft in Japan is ready for its final mission as a museum showcase.

Hein Tony
Workers reassemble a Hien World War II fighter aircraft at the Gifu-Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, on Feb. 15. (Noboru Tomura)

The Hien, originally developed by the predecessor of a major Japanese motorcycle for the Imperial Japanese Army, will be showcased from March 24 with the reopening of the refurbished Gifu-Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum.

“Displaying the Hien has been our long-held dream since the opening of the museum in 1996,” said Atsuhiro Nagaura, head of the museum. “I want the Hien to be seen by as many people as possible in its home.”

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Last wartime Hein Tony ‘Flying Swallow’ fighter goes on show in Japan

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