List of Tallest Structures in Tokyo

List Of Tallest Structures In Tokyo

Skyscrapers of Shinjuku's Nishi-Shinjuku district in Tokyo

Tokyo is the most populated of Japan's 47 prefectures. In Tokyo, there are 47 buildings and structures that stand taller than 180 metres (591 ft). The tallest structure in the prefecture is Tokyo Skytree, a lattice tower that rises 634 metres (2,080 ft), which was completed in 2012. It also stands as the tallest structure in Japan, the tallest tower in the world and the 2nd-tallest freestanding structure in the world. The tallest building and third-tallest overall structure in Tokyo is the 248-metre-tall (814 ft) Midtown Tower, which was completed in 2007. The prefecture's second tallest building is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which rises 48 stories and 243 metres (797 ft) in height. Overall, of the 25 tallest buildings and structures in Japan, 17 are in Tokyo.

Skyscrapers are a relatively recent phenomenon in Japan. Due to aesthetic and engineering concerns, 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. 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 ft) in height. 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. 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 42 tallest skyscrapers.

Tokyo has been the site of many skyscraper construction projects in recent years. Since 2007, 14 buildings rising higher than 180 metres (591 ft) have been completed. As of August 2012, seven such buildings are under construction in the prefecture. Several other construction projects planned to exceed the height of 180 metres are proposed for the near future.