Former Navy Underground Headquarters #1

The Okinawa District Headquarters of the Japanese Navy were built under a hill near Naha in 1944 and marks made by the construction party's pickaxes can still be seen on the walls and ceilings.The Imperial Navy Vice Admiral Minoru Ota (commander of the Japanese Navy on Okinawa) and 4,000 of his men lived and ultimately committed suicide here toward the end of WWII. There are still traces of the mass suicide, including a farwell message written on the wall by Ota and grenade shrapnel. This farewell message was for his commanding officer and told about the devotion of the Okinawan citizens who served in the Imperial Army during the fierce battle.