Missile shelter to be built near Tokyo Station amid rising security concerns
The push to build more durable shelters comes amid North Korea's ramped-up pace of ballistic missile tests and China's growing arsenal of powerful weapons.
The Tokyo government has announced plans to construct a missile shelter in a parking garage beneath Tokyo Station. Mayor Yuriko Koike claimed the site would provide "highly effective" protection for residents. The decision comes as North Korea is increasing its ballistic missile tests and China possesses a growing arsenal of advanced weaponry.
Koike explained the choice during a press conference, stating that the area was near Tokyo Station, a major gateway to the capital, and saw a high concentration of people outdoors. The underground parking lot, spanning around 13,000 square meters, is located on the first and second basement levels beneath Yaesu-dori Avenue. Koike also mentioned that special doors to safeguard occupants would be evaluated in the future.
The governor emphasized that detailed surveys for the renovations would commence in the current fiscal year. She highlighted North Korea's recent ballistic missile launch as evidence of the "extremely serious and grave threat" to Japan's security. This will be the second shelter in Tokyo, following the renovation of a disaster supplies storage facility at Toei Subway's Azabu-Juban Station.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
