List of tallest structures in Tokyo

Skyscrapers of Nishi-Shinjuku and Shiodome located in the Shinjuku and Minato wards
Aerial view of a city; many low-rise buildings in the foreground with many high-rise buildings in the background. The summit of a snow covered mountain can be seen in the distance.
Mid-level view of a city; the tops of trees in the foreground with many high-rise buildings in the background

Tokyo is the most populated of Japan's 47 prefectures.[1] In Tokyo, there are 53 buildings and structures that stand taller than 187 metres (614 feet).[2] The tallest structure in the prefecture is Tokyo Skytree, a lattice tower that rises 634 metres (2,080 feet), which was completed in 2012.[3] It also stands as the tallest structure in Japan, the tallest tower in the world and the third-tallest freestanding structure in the world.[3][4] The tallest building and third-tallest overall structure in Tokyo is the 325.2-metre-tall Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower in the Azabudai Hills development, completed in 2023 and being Tokyo's only supertall skyscraper. The second-tallest building is the 265-metre-tall (869 ft) Toranomon Hills Station Tower in the Toranomon Hills complex, which was completed in 2023. The prefecture's third-tallest building is the Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, which rises 52 storeys and 255 metres (837 feet) in height.[5] Overall, as of October 2023, of the 25 tallest buildings and structures in Japan, 17 are in Tokyo.[4]

Skyscrapers are a relatively recent phenomenon in Japan. Due to aesthetic and engineering concerns,[6] Japan's Building Standard Law set an absolute height limit of 31 metres until 1963, when the limit was abolished in favor of a floor area ratio limit.[7] Following these changes in building regulations, the Kasumigaseki Building was constructed and completed in 1968. Double the height of Japan's previous tallest building—the 17-story Hotel New Otani Tokyo—the Kasumigaseki Building is regarded as Japan's first modern high-rise building, rising 36 stories and 156 metres (512 feet) in height.[8][9] A booming post-war Japanese economy and the hosting of the 1964 Summer Olympics helped lead to a building boom in Tokyo during the 1960s and 1970s. Construction continued through the 1980s and 1990s as the Japanese asset price bubble rose and fell.[10] Mainland Tokyo is divided into two sections: Western Tokyo and the special wards of Tokyo. All of the prefecture's tallest buildings are within the 23 special wards, which comprise the area formerly incorporated as Tokyo City. Nishi-Shinjuku, a district within Shinjuku, was the prefecture's first major skyscraper development area. Starting with the construction of the Keio Plaza Hotel in the 1971, the district is now home to 13 of Tokyo's 46 tallest skyscrapers.[11]

Tokyo has been the site of many skyscraper construction projects in recent years. Since 2015, ten buildings rising higher than 187 metres (614 feet) have been completed. As of May 2020, eleven such buildings are under construction in the prefecture. Several other construction projects planned to exceed the height of 187 metres are proposed for the near future.[12]

  1. ^ "Population By Prefecture (1920-2009)" (Excel). Statistics Bureau. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  2. ^ "Tokyo Skyscraper Diagram". Skyscraper Source Media. Archived from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Tokyo Skytree SCP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Japan Skyscraper Diagram". Skyscraper Source Media. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Midtown Tower SCP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Tokyo-Yokohama Metropolitan Area". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  7. ^ Wantanabe, Hiroshi (2001). The Architecture of Tokyo. Edition Axel Menges. p. 119. ISBN 3-930698-93-5.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hotel New Otani SCP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Japan's first skyscraper turns 30". The Japan Times. April 17, 1998. Archived from the original on March 24, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  10. ^ "Tokyo story". Metropolis. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  11. ^ "Shinjuku Skyscraper District, Tokyo". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  12. ^ "Diagram of Japanese skyscrapers and towers completed and under construction". Skyscraper Source Media. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2009.

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