Tsukuba << tsoo koo bah >> Science City is a center for scientific and technological research and education in Japan. It lies within the city of Tsukuba (pop. 241,656), about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.
In 1963, the Japanese government approved a plan to ease overcrowding in Tokyo by developing a community devoted to advanced research and higher education. The plan called for the relocation of national research and educational institutes from the Tokyo metropolitan area to Tsukuba. Research institutions began to move in 1972. The University of Tsukuba was founded in 1973. The city received worldwide attention in 1985, the year it held an international exposition of science and technology called Tsukuba Expo ’85.
In 1987, the government officially formed Tsukuba City by uniting the surrounding towns and villages. About 50 national research and educational institutes are in Tsukuba Science City, including the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, National Laboratory for High Energy Physics, the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, and the Tsukuba College of Technology. Many private research laboratories are also there.
