Lobang Jepang

0°18′11″S 100°22′03″E / 0.303090°S 100.367610°E / -0.303090; 100.367610

Signboard of Lobang Jepang

Lobang Jepang or Lubang Jepang (which means 'Japanese tunnel' or 'Japanese hole' in Indonesian) is an underground military complex, which is now one of the historical tourist attraction in the city of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra in Indonesia.

The Japanese tunnel is a protection tunnel built by the Japanese occupying army around 1942 for defense purposes, which was fully completed in June, 1944. It was first discovered in the early 1950s and opened to tourists in 1994.[1][2] As World War II progressed in 1942, the Japanese occupation forces in the Dutch East Indies began to feel pressure from the advancing Allied forces. In response, they started constructing numerous hiding tunnels across the archipelago, not only in Bukittinggi but also in cities such like Bandung and Biak, among other places in Indonesia. These tunnels were built as part of their defensive strategy to prepare for potential Allied attacks.[3]

  1. ^ Yulianingsih, T.M. (2010). Jelajah wisata Nusantara: berbagai pilihan tujuan wisata di 33 provinsi. Niaga Swadaya. ISBN 978-979-788-166-5.
  2. ^ "Menelusuri Sejarah Suram Lobang Jepang di Bukittinggi". Kompas. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  3. ^ Wulandari, Retno (26 February 2016). "Merasai Kengerian Lubang Jepang di Bukittinggi". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 31 July 2024.