TAIKI, Hokkaido -- A military pillbox, which was built at the end of the Pacific War to prepare for the possible landing of U.S. forces, is seen jutting out from the cliffside above the Pacific Ocean in Taiki, Hokkaido. It was originally built underground but now sits exposed, about 3.5 meters above the sea, because of erosion caused by typhoons and other weather factors.
One person would enter the pillbox and look through the opening toward the ocean to surveil the situation, according to the town's board of education. However, the pillbox was never actually used.
It measures 4.5 meters in height, 5 meters wide and 6 meters long. It was made of concrete, but small pieces of wood is seen to be mixed in, suggesting a shortage of supplies at the time. No one is allowed to enter the structure because of the risk of it collapsing.
Above ground, there are about 15 other pillboxes around town and the board of education is working to have them preserved.
"We have to convey and pass on the horrors of war to future generations in the hopes that it will not be repeated," a board member said.
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