Fujitsu relay computer recognised by Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science

Source: Fujitsu. The FACOM128B is still working today

(Ikeda Memorial Room).

Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science has decided to register Fujitsu's FACOM128B relay-type automatic computer* as Essential Historical Materials for Science and Technology. The FACOM128B, manufactured in 1959, is still in an operational state**. A Certificate of Registration was presented on August 28.

Since 2008, the National Museum of Nature and Science has registered Essential Historical Materials for Science and Technology, with the goal of passing on to future generations items that have had an impact on Japanese economy, society, culture, and the lifestyles of its citizens.

The FACOM128B is a follow-on from the FACOM128, launched in 1956. The FACOM128 was the first relay-type commercial computer made in Japan, and featured the then-advanced capabilities of a self-checking function for its internal processing, and a retry function. Later, the FACOM128B, seen as a highly reliable computer, was used to design camera lenses and the YS-11, the first Japanese passenger plane produced after World War II.  

The Fujitsu Relay-type Computer Technology Inheritance Project began in October 2006, with the goal of capturing the thoughts and feelings of the technical personnel involved in its development and production for the next generation. In this project, the technical personnel involved in the design, production, maintenance, and operation of the computer worked with current technical personnel to keep both the FACOM128B, which is fast approaching its 60th anniversary, and its sister machine, the FACOM138A, in an operational state.

Going forward, Fujitsu will continue to collect, archive, analyse, and utilise materials relating to its scientific and technological results, including not only relay-type machines and other computers, but also telecommunications equipment and devices, as well as ICT solutions. The company plans to pass on its technical heritage to the future and contribute to technological transformation for the next generation.

*This computer uses relays (switches that operate magnetically) as logic elements, giving Fujitsu its competitive edge at the time.

**An operational exhibit in the Ikeda Memorial Room, at one of Fujitsu's facilities in Numazu, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. The FACOM138A is also preserved in an operational state at the Fujitsu Technology Hall in Fujitsu's Kawasaki Research & Manufacturing Facilities, Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan.