A rare look inside the Japanese Imperial air raid shelter

On August 1st, the Imperial Household Agency released floor plans, photographs, and video of the World War II imperial air raid shelter. The shelter, an annex of the former imperial couple's residential quarters, is situated within the Imperial Palace grounds in Central Tokyo. It is the first time since 1965 that views of the inside or outside of the shelter have been shown to the public.


Construction began on the shelter in 1941 and was completely by July the following year. In 1945, an underground passage linking the imperial couple's residential quarters with the shelter was established. Among the rooms within the shelter are two offices, a communications room, a meeting room, and a machine room. The shelter was the site of several historic meetings including the August 10th, 1945 meeting of the Supreme War Direction Council and the August 14th, 1945 meeting attended by Emperor Hirohito in which details on Japan's surrender were discussed before the Emperor delivered his famous speech.

A 17 minute video exploring the bunker can be streamed from the Imperial Household Agency Website here and a shortened version has been uploaded by Kyodo News:

Numbered floor plans with corresponding photographs:

Floor plans

1. Fukiage Ōmiya Palace
(formerly the imperial couple's residential quarters)

2. Annex to the imperial couple's residential quarters, eastern exit

3. Passageway from the eastern exit

4. Corridor

5. Corridor, passageway to the western exit, and remains of partition wall

6. Passageway to the western exit

7. Opening (near the western exit)

8. Opening (Central. Remains of the underground passageway from the imperial couple's residential quarters)

9. Opening (near the corridor)

10. Iron door of the machine room

11. Machine room

12. Iron door of the central corridor

13. Iron door of the easterly corridor

14. Iron door on the meeting room's north side

15. Meeting room

16. Meeting room

17. Meeting room

18. Iron door of the northern office

19. Northern office

20. Southern office

21. Iron door on the meeting room's south side

22. Iron door on the south side of the office

23. Communications office

24. Western exit

25. Western exit

Sources:
All images courtesy of the Imperial Household Agency (Japanese)
Asahi Shimbun
Japan Times