This screenshot taken from the virtual tour shows corridors inside the former Imperial Japanese armed forces dugout in Tokyo's Ichigaya district. The former army minister's office and communications room are on the right. (Image courtesy of the Ministry of Defense)

       TOKYO -- The Ministry of Defense launched a virtual tour of a former Imperial Japanese armed forces bunker beneath the ministry in Tokyo's Ichigaya district on July 1.

       Participants with borrowed tablets can "go" into every corner of the bunker. Only one section of the wartime facility is actually open to the public.

       The Imperial General Headquarters' Army Section, the Department of the Army General Staff and other military bodies were based on ministry grounds during World War II. The bunker was built for them between August 1941 and December 1942 as a bomb shelter about 15 meters underground. Three parallel corridors were dug north to south, and two corridors cross them east to west.

       According to the Defense Ministry, the bunker had been open to public but was closed about 20 years ago due to deterioration. After quake-resistance and repair work, it was added to the ministry tour route in August 2020, but visitors can only enter some parts of it close to the entrance. The ministry decided to introduce the virtual content to show the entire 48-meter by 52-meter bunker to enhance tour satisfaction.

       Using a tablet distributed by the guide, tour participants can see the former army minister's office and communications room up close, though in the real world they can only catch a glimpse of them from a distance. They can also go up and down the stairs that used to connect the bunker with a building above, making the visitors feel as if they were there.

       After World War II, the bunker was used by the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers, and English signs on a water tank and the corridor walls can be seen in detail, communicating the great changes that came with the war's end in 1945.

       Defense Ministry tours are held in the mornings and afternoon. The bunker is included in the afternoon tours, which costs 700 yen (about $6.30) for adults and is free for those under 18. For details, visit the ministry's website at: https://www.mod.go.jp/j/publication/ichigaya/index.html (in Japanese).

       (Japanese original by Yoshitake Matsuura, Tokyo City News Department)

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