Our Mission
About the LOGO
Symbol mark of the Institute, which designs the metaphase plate of the first meiotic division and symbolizes the remark by Dr. Hitoshi Kihara (1946): "The history of the earth is recorded in the layers of its crust; the history of all organisms is inscribed in the chromosomes."
History
1949 June 1
Established under the jurisdication of the Ministry of Education, Sclence, Sports and Culture. Started with an administrative department and three research departments.
1949 Aug. 10
Prof. Kan Oguma was elected the 1st Director.
1953 Jan. 1
Three research departments were reorganized as the Departments of Morphological Genetics, CytologicalGeneticsand Physiological Genetics.
1953 Aug. 1
Department of Biochemical Genetics was added.
1954 July 1
Department of Applied Genetics wes added.
1955 Sept.15
Departrnent of Induced Mutation was added.
1955 Oct. 1
Prof. Hitoshi Kihara was elected the 2nd Director.
1960 Apr. 30
Department of Human Genetcs was added.
1962 Apr. 1
Department of Microbial Genetics was added.
1964 Apr. 1
Department of Population Genetics was added.
1969 Apr. 1
Prof. Daigoro Moriwaki was elected the 3rd Director. Department of Molecular Biology was added.
1974 Apr. 1
Plant Section of the Genetic Stock Center was established.
1975 Mar. 1
Dr. Yataro Tazima was elected the 4th Director.
1975 Oct. 1
Animal Section in the Genetic Stock Center was added.
1976 Oct. 1
Microbial Section in the Genetic Stock Center was added.
1983 Oct. 1
Dr. Ei Matsunaga was elected the 5th Director.
1984 Apr. 12
Reorganized as an inter-university research institute for joint use by universities. The DNA Research Center (DNA Structure and Reoombinant DNA Laboratories) and the Experirnental Farm were established. The Genetic Stock Research Center was expanded into five laboratories: the Genetic Resources Laboratory was added and the Animal Section was divided into the Mammalian and Invertebrate Laboratories.
1985 Apr. 1
The DNA Synthesis and DNA Data Analysis Laboratories were added in the DNA Research Center.
1987 Jan. 12
The DNA Data Bank of Japan began operations.
1988 Apr. 8
The Radio-isotope Center was established. The Gene Library Laboratory was added in the DNA Research Center.
1988 Oct. 1
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies was established. The Department of Genetics, School of Life Science of the University began accepting students.
1989 Oct. 1
Dr. Jun-ichi Tomizawa was elected the 6th Director.
1993 Apr. 1
The Mammalian Development Laboratory was added in the Genetic Stock Research Center.
1994 June 24
The Gene Function Research Laboratory was added in the DNA Research Center.
1995 Apr. 1
The Center for Information Biology was established. Gene-Product Informatics and Molecular Classification Laboratories were added and DNA Data Analysis and Gene Function Latoratories were transferred from the DNA Research Center.
1996 May 11
The DNA Research Center was reorganized as the Structural Biology Center consisting of 5 laboratories(Biological Macromolecules, Molecular Biomechanism, Multicellular Organization, Biomolecular Structure and Gene Network).
1997 Apr. 1
The Genetic Stock Research Center was reorganized as theGenetic Strains Research Center consisting of laboratories (Mammalian Genetics, Mammalian Development, Plant Genetics, Microbial Genetics and Invertebrate Genetics), and as the Center for Genetic Resource Information consisting of 2 laboratories (Genetic Informatics and Genetic Resources).
1997 Oct. 1
Dr. Yoshiki Hotta was elected the 7th Director.
1998 Apr. 9
The Division of Early Embryogenesis was added in the Department of Developmental Genetics. The Division of Brain Function was added in the Department of Integrated Genetics.
2001 Apr. 1
The center for Information Biology was reorganized as the Center for Information Biology and DNA Data Bank of Japan. The new center consists of 5 laboratories. The Laboratory of Molecular Classification of the former center was renamed as the laboratory of Research and Development of Biological databases in the new center. The Laboratory of Gene-Expression Analysis was added in the new center.
2002 Apr. 1
Two laboratories,Mouse Genomics Resource Laboratory and Model Fish Genomics Resource Labaratory,were added to the Genetic Strains Research Center.
2003 Apr. 1
The Comparative Genomics Laboratory was added to the Center for for Genetic Resource Information.
2004 Apr. 1
Reorganized as Research Organization of Information and Systems,Inter-University Research Institute Corporation,together with three other national institutes.
2004 Dec. 1
Dr. Yuji Kohara was elected the 8th Director.
2005 Apr. 1
Intellectual Property Unit was added.
Research Promotion Section was added in the Department of Administration.
2006 Apr. 1
The Center of Frontier Research was established. The Laboratory for Cell Lineage,Neural Morphogenesis and Cell Architecture was added in the new center.
2011 Oct. 1
Advanced Genomics Center was established.
2012 Apr. 1
Research centers were reorganized. Intellectual Infrastructure Centers (Genetic Resource Center and DDBJ Center) and Support Centers (IT Unit, Mouse Research Supporting Unit) were established.
2012 Dec. 1
Dr. Isao Katsura was elected 9th Director.
2014 Apr. 1
Office for Research Development was added.
2015 Apr. 1
Unit for Experimental Animal Care was
established. Office for Female Researcher
Development was added. Renamed as Office
for Gender Equality (as of 2017 Apr. 1)
2018 Dec. 1
Dr. Fumio Hanaoka was elected the 10th Director.
2019 Jan. 1
The existing 5 departments, 3 research centers (Genetic Strains Research Center, Structural Biology Center and Center for Information Biology), Experimental Farm and Radio-isotope Center were abolished. Four research departments (Dept. of Informatics, Dept. of Genomics and Evolutionary Biology, Dept. of Gene Function and Phenomics and Dept. of Chromosome Science) were established. The DDBJ Center, as one of the Intellectual Infrastructure Centers, was renamed as the Bioinformation and DDBJ Center. The Support Center was reorganized. (The Radioisotope Unit was added.)
