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| After the ], most of the documentation relating to the Matsushiro complex was destroyed. As a result, very little is known about the day-to-day construction of the facility.<ref name=JTG/> | After the ], most of the documentation relating to the Matsushiro complex was destroyed. As a result, very little is known about the day-to-day construction of the facility.<ref name=JTG/> | ||
| The complex today is administered by the Nagano city's sightseeing bureau. The caves are mostly closed to the public - only the first 500 meters of the Mount Zōzan facilities are open. |
The complex today is administered by the Nagano city's sightseeing bureau. The caves are mostly closed to the public - only the first 500 meters of the Mount Zōzan facilities are open.<ref>. JapanVisitor.com/Soccerphile. September 02, 2008</ref> | ||
| ==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
Revision as of 18:44, 26 March 2009
The Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters (Matsushiro Daihonei (松代大本営跡)) was a large underground bunker complex built during the Second World War in the Matsushiro suburb of Nagano city.. The facility was to be used by Emperor Hirohito, his family, and the Imperial General Headquarters to direct Japanese armed forces fighting against the Allied invasion of Japan.
Construction
Construction began on November 11, 1944 and continued until Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945. Construction was 75% completed at the end of the war, with 5,856.6 square meters (63,040 sq ft) of floor-space (59,635 cubic meters (2,106,000 cu ft) of volume) excavated. Between 7,000 and 10,000 Korean slave laborers were used to build the complex, and it is estimated that 1,500 of them died. Forty-six Koreans were disappeared on August 15, 1945, when Japan surrendered. The project cost ¥200,000,000.
Composition
The complex was an interlinked series of tunnels underneath several mountains. Facilities for the Imperial General Headquarters and palace functions were constructed under Mount Maizuru; military communications under Mount Saijo; NHK and central telephone facilities under Mount Zōzan; and the Imperial Sanctuary under Mount Kobo.
Purpose
The original purpose of the complex was to serve as an alternative headquarters for the Imperial General headquarters. However, in March 1945, secret orders were issued to add a palace to the complex. Yoshijirō Umezu informed Emperor Hirohito about construction of the complex in May, but did not tell him that it contained a palace. The plan was to relocate the Emperor to the complex in an armored train. When informed about the existence of the palace in July, Hirohito twice refused to relocate.
The complex was designed specifically to withstand B-29 bombings.
Matsushiro today
After the surrender of Japan, most of the documentation relating to the Matsushiro complex was destroyed. As a result, very little is known about the day-to-day construction of the facility.
The complex today is administered by the Nagano city's sightseeing bureau. The caves are mostly closed to the public - only the first 500 meters of the Mount Zōzan facilities are open.
Notes
- McCormack, 253
- ^ Cook, 433
- Cook, 436
- ^ WWII Imperial Headquarters - Matsushiro . Japan Travel Guide. The Yamasa Institute
- ^ Drea, 206
- Japan Visitor Blog - Matsushiro Daihonei Nagano. JapanVisitor.com/Soccerphile. September 02, 2008
References
- Cook, Haruko Taya (1992). Japan at War: An Oral History. New Press. ISBN 1565840399.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Drea, Edward J. (2003). In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803266383.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - McCormack, Gavan (2001). The Emptiness of Japanese Affluence. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 0765607670.
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