North Korean Missiles and the Taiwan Crisis: Undercover Photos of Nuclear Shelter Construction Sites for the Nuclear War Era

News of North Korea launching missiles has become commonplace. With increasing concerns about a Taiwan crisis in the south, nuclear shelters are gaining attention. It has been reported that Tokyo Metropolitan Government has decided to advance the development of “underground shelters” where residents can stay for a certain period in preparation for missile attacks from abroad starting this fiscal year. It is said that candidate locations already include the Toei Oedo Line’s Azabu-Juban Station and others.

In overseas countries where shelter installation is mandated by law, Switzerland and Israel have a 100% rate, while the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom have installation rates of about 80-70%. Neighboring countries have figures like Taiwan at 370% and South Korea at 300%. In contrast, Japan has a 0.02% rate, with only a few wealthy individuals having installed them.

However, recently, there seem to be more examples of shelters being sold domestically. A construction company in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, SEIRYOU Co., Ltd., is conducting installation work for a nuclear shelter to open a model room in September, so we covered the site.

“Six months ago, our president, Shimizu, saw footage of pets being left behind and abandoned during the Noto earthquake. In the past, when a disaster struck, the reality was that people could only focus on protecting their own lives and were unable to do anything beyond that. But with a shelter, it’s possible to save not just family members but also small lives like pets. That’s the sentiment that led us to start this business at our company,” said Seiji Horii, the spokesperson for SEIRYO Co., Ltd.

 

 

When visiting the residential exhibition site on the side of a small hill, a large hole about 10 square meters in size had been dug, and a pitch-black iron box was seated inside. According to Kazumi Yoshiyama, the representative of Anchor Housing Co., Ltd., this shelter is manufactured domestically to the same specifications used by the U.S. military. It is said that it takes two weeks for nuclear radiation to dissipate according to American research institutes, and the shelter is equipped with air, water, food, and living conditions to survive those two weeks.

“The size of this shelter is 2.4 meters wide, 5 meters deep, and 2.4 meters high. This is the maximum size that can be transported on a trailer. To install it, you only need a 1-meter space around it, so about 10 tsubo (approximately 33 square meters) is sufficient. If you have the space of two carports, it can be dug and buried there. There have been cases where shelters were installed where carports used to be, and then the carports were restored,” Yoshiyama said.

Descending the stairs from the entrance installed above ground, we were shown the interior. The interior construction is yet to be completed, and the floor and walls were just bare iron plates painted. It is not very spacious, but the height is reasonably good, so it doesn’t feel as confined as expected. It also seems slightly cooler than above ground.

“We install a special air purifier that shuts out 99.8% of radiation. There are shelves for storing food and water, and space is arranged to provide one bed per person for up to four people. Since a flushing toilet may become unusable due to water shortages, and portable toilets are unsanitary, we install a bio-toilet. Additionally, there’s a mini kitchen. If the water supply is unavailable, stored water will be used.

The power source includes solar panels and batteries, but air conditioning cannot be used even in hot summer months. Nevertheless, one of the key points of the underground shelter is that it can maintain a livable temperature of around 25°C,” the spokesperson added.

Typically, the shelter can also be used as a wine cellar, home theater, or safe. Due to its soundproof qualities, it is sometimes used as a practice room for musical instruments. However, the price of 27.5 million yen is a significant barrier for ordinary people. Additionally, installation costs add to the expense. Securing installation space in urban areas is also extremely challenging. At present, it is indeed a luxury item for the wealthy. Still, Yoshiyama asserts that the shelter’s “performance” in an emergency is reliable.

“Of course, if a bomb hits directly, it would be impossible to survive. However, there is actual data showing that people survived at a distance of about 100 to 200 meters from the epicenter of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. These were people who happened to be underground at the time. In the case of a nuclear bomb, most people die from the blast’s heat rather than radiation. Although radiation is a concern, shelters can completely shut out the blast, so if you are 100 to 200 meters away from the epicenter, you should be safe.”

For those of us who can’t afford to buy a shelter, it seems that our only option in case of an emergency would be to at least escape underground.