The jail, which had 16 cells for male prisoners and a separate unit for females, also had a torture chamber where hardened criminals were punished, according to historians.
Its walls are riddled with bullet holes, graffiti and writings in English and Japanese.
Today, the old jail is frequented by Japanese tourists and scholars.
Japan administered the NMI from 1914 to 1944.
Last month, the old Japanese jail, which is located between Chichirica Avenue and Ghiyobw St. in Garapan, was listed in the Federal Register for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
The National Register is America’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.
According to its website, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archeological resources.
Properties listed in the National Register, which is administered by the National Park Service under the U.S. Department of the Interior, include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.
