Japan to convert car park near Tokyo Station into missile shelter

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told a press conference earlier this month that a survey would begin in the current financial year through March in preparation for revamping Yaesu car park, which is located about two to 11 metres (six to 36 feet) underground.

The alterations are expected to include setting up blast-proof doors and storage shelves for emergency supplies, a metropolitan government official said. The facility has a total floor space of roughly 13,000 square metres (140,000 square feet).

It would be the capital city’s second emergency underground shelter, with a 1,400-square-metre storage facility for disasters at Azabu-Juban subway station currently under conversion, the official said.

Koike said that the Yaesu parking facility was chosen for its proximity to Tokyo Station, which she described as “the gateway to the capital” with many visiting the area.