Okinawan Imperial Navy Headquarters bunker

On a hill top that overlooks the local capital of Naha, a humble park can be found, most easily for the massive monument erected at the peak.

memorial tower for fallen navy personnel

The Imperial navy underground headquarters was first conceived in 1944, utilizing 3000 navy engineers for it's construction. Designed to hold firm under naval bombardment, the 450m long bunker tunnels were dugout by pickaxe and shovel over 5 months. Divided early on from the north due to a American amphibious landing on the center of Okinawa, the bunker became the main point of resistance for 3,500 sea men and 7,000 local militia fighters.

According to survivors of the battle for Okinawa, these roughly 2 meter wide halls were filled with the wounded and the dead by the fifth day of combat. The museum above displays illustrations of the scene made by survivors of the bunker.

The museum above records many warstories from the combat surrounding the bunker, most prominently displaying one story from the commander of the bunker, Navy Vice admiral Oota Minoru. When the fall of bunker became imminent in early June, it is said that the Vice admiral Minoru sent out a two hour long telegram to the main land, describing the tenacity and loyalty of the Okinawan people before commiting suicide by seppuku.

The bunker allows visitors to try making a telegram message through a machine, located in one of the rooms of the bunker. The full translated message will be listed below.

Location

Note* The area has very narrow roads. The author recommends visitors take a smaller car or Uber to the park.

Telegram

"Regarding the actual situation of Okinawa citizens, the prefectural governor has already lost communication means, although the prefectural governor should report the authority, the 32nd Army Headquarters seems not to have such a margin as well. Although it was not requested from the prefectural governor to the Navy Headquarters, it is impossible to overlook the current situation as it is, so I will inform you of the governor urgently. Since the enemy began to attack on the main island of Okinawa, the Army and the Navy devoted themselves to defensive warfare and could hardly look back on the prefecture's people. Regardless, as far as I can tell, the prefectural people applied for defense convocation all the young people and the senior citizens altogether.

The old man, the child, the woman who was left are gone because no one depends on themselves, and all the houses and wealth have been burned all by the bombing of successive enemies, just the arrival of clothes, the disturbance of the military strategy It evacuates to a narrow air defense shelter in a place that does not become, and barely avoids bombardment while still being exposed to the weather while being exposed to the poverty. Young women take the initiative to devote themselves to the military, even to nurses and cooks, as well as those who offer cannonballs and even slaughtering troops.

If the enemy comes, the old child will be killed, and since the woman will be taken away to the enemy's territory and put on the poisonous thing, I will decide to separate and live away my daughter at the military gate There are also parents.

Nurses continue to nurse seriously injured people who can not depend on who the sanitary left behind during the movement of the military. That situation is very serious and I do not believe it was a very temporary feeling. Furthermore, when the strategy of the military changes drastically, they are ordered to relocate to a distant place far away within that night, people without transport means are walking in the rain without complaints. In the end, despite consistent efforts for labor service and goods conservation all the time since the naval forces in and out of Okinawa, just as a Japanese while unconsciously holding the thoughts of the loyalty, ( unintelligible ) can't finally giving (unintelligible ) Okinawa Island together with the outcome of this battle and destiny together, it will become a scorched soy that no one plants will remain.

It is said that food is already in full condition only in June. The Okinawa citizens fought in this way. I would like you to give the prefectural people special consideration, this day forward".