The construction of Wisma Nusantara was inspired by President Sukarno's intention to have the first high rise building in Jakarta.

As a result, the money ran out, leaving the building unfinished with only its steel frame completed for more than 5 years.

[2] Because of the considerably high cost of renting office space, the building was only used by Japanese companies for a couple of years.

An Indonesian movie directed by Sjumandjaja Budak Nafsu (1984), literally "slave to lust", depicts a scene where a young woman was raped and made a concubine for the Japanese during the war, and having lost her energy for life, wanders around Jakarta surrounded by neon signs of Japanese enterprises on Jalan M.H.

In 2003, Nikko Hotel was expanded with an additional 11-story executive suite tower to the north of the Wisma Nusantara complex.