The Dai-ichi Hotel was built in the Shimbashi District in 1939 in anticipation of the 1940 Summer Olympics (that were subsequently canceled because of World War II). During the Pacific War the Dai-ichi quartered expatriates and prisoners-of-war, to produce the propaganda ‘Zero Hour’ and other broadcasts emanating from Radio Tokyo. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, with the onset of the Occupation, the Dai-ichi became a US military billet for junior-rank officers and officer-ranked civilian correspondents.

The Dai-ichi Hotel during the Occupation, c. 1948.

Dai-Ichi Hotel, c. 1950.