A topping-out ceremony was held last week at the skyscraper rising in the Toranomon–Azabudai district as Japan’s tallest building. Its height already matches the finished 330 meters. From the roof of the Palaceside Building it leaps out of the surrounding cluster, two or three heads taller than the rest = far left in the photo. It looks the same height as Tokyo Tower (333 meters), whose distance from the Palaceside Building is almost unchanged.
The large-scale redevelopment, in which major developer Mori Building and others are investing about 580 billion yen, has this tower at its core. Shimizu Corporation broke ground in August 2019; when it is completed next year it will overtake Osaka’s Abeno Harukas (300 meters) as Japan’s tallest building. It will have 64 stories above ground. An international school is planned from basement first through seventh floor, offices from the 7th through 52nd, and residences from the 54th up.
In fiscal 2027 Mitsubishi Estate plans a roughly 390-meter tower north of JR Tokyo Station; once that is finished, the title of Japan’s tallest will pass on.