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] As of November 2024, there are over 200 buildings and structures in Tokyo that stand at least 150 metres tall (492 feet), of which 47 are at least 200 metres tall (656 feet).[2][3][4] The tallest structure in the prefecture is Tokyo Skytree, a megatall lattice tower that rises 634 metres (2,080 feet), which was completed in 2012.[5][6] It also stands as the tallest structure in Japan, the tallest tower in the world and the third-tallest freestanding structure in the world.[5][7] The second-tallest structure in Tokyo is the 333-metre-tall (1,092 feet) Tokyo Tower, a lattice tower completed in 1958.[7][8] The tallest building and third-tallest overall structure is the 325-metre-tall (1,068 feet) Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower, completed in 2023 and being Tokyo's only supertall skyscraper.[7][9] It is also the tallest building in Japan and the world's largest skyscraper by floor area. The second-tallest building and fourth-tallest structure in Tokyo is the 266-metre-tall (872 feet) Toranomon Hills Station Tower, which was completed in 2023.[7][10] The third-tallest building and fifth-tallest structure is the 263-metre-tall (862 feet) Azabudai Hills Residence B, topped out and set for completion in 2025.[7][11] As of November 2024, 17 of Japan's 25 tallest buildings and structures are in Tokyo.[7]

Skyscrapers are a relatively recent phenomenon in Japan. Due to aesthetic and engineering concerns,[12] 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.[13] 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.[14][15] 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.[16] 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 1971, the district is now home to 11 of Tokyo's 50 tallest skyscrapers.[2][17] Other major skyscraper districts have since been developed, such as the ones around Tokyo Station, Shiodome, Toranomon, and Shibuya Station.

Tokyo has been the site of many skyscraper construction projects in recent years. Over the past decade, 16 buildings rising higher than 200 metres have been completed, of which 6 were completed since 2023.[2] A total of 60 buildings standing at least 150 metres in height have been completed in Tokyo since 2014.[2] As of November 2024, 28 skyscrapers are under construction in the prefecture, with 9 planned to rise higher than 200 metres, including a supertall skyscraper—the 385-metre-tall (1,263 feet) Torch Tower—which is set to become the new tallest building in Tokyo and Japan upon completion in 2028.[18][19] Several other construction projects planned to exceed the height of 200 metres are proposed for the near future, as Tokyo is experiencing a "once-in-a-century" redevelopment boom.[20]

  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. ^ a b c d "Tokyo Skyscraper Diagram". Skyscraper Source Media. Archived from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  3. ^ "Sky Tower Nishi-Tokyo". Skyscraper Source Media. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  4. ^ "Southern Sky Tower Hachioji". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Tokyo Skytree SCP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Tall Buildings in Numbers" (PDF). Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Japan Skyscraper Diagram". Skyscraper Source Media. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  8. ^ "Tokyo Tower 東京タワー". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "Toranomon Azabudai Main Tower". Skyscraper Source Media. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Toranomon Hills Station SCP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Toranomon Azabudai B1 SCP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Tokyo-Yokohama Metropolitan Area". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  13. ^ Wantanabe, Hiroshi (2001). The Architecture of Tokyo. Edition Axel Menges. p. 119. ISBN 3-930698-93-5.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hotel New Otani SCP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Japan's first skyscraper turns 30". The Japan Times. April 17, 1998. Archived from the original on March 24, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  16. ^ "Tokyo story". Metropolis. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  17. ^ "Shinjuku Skyscraper District, Tokyo". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ "Torch Tower トーチタワー". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ "What's behind Tokyo's massive redevelopment?". World Economic Forum. Retrieved June 8, 2024.