Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

is the most populated of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

's 47

prefectures A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

. Mainland Tokyo is divided into two sections:

Western Tokyo Western Tokyo, known as the , or locally, in the Tokyo Metropolis consists of 30 ordinary municipalities ( cities (市 shi), towns (町 machi) and one village (村 mura)), unlike the eastern part which consists of 23 special wards. Before i ...

and the

special wards of Tokyo The of Tokyo are a special form of Municipalities of Japan, municipalities in Japan under the 1947 Local Autonomy Act, Local Autonomy Law. They are city-level wards: primary subdivisions of a prefecture with municipal autonomy largely comparabl ...

. The prefecture's tallest

structure A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

s are within the 23 special wards, which comprise the area formerly incorporated as

Tokyo City was a Cities of Japan, municipality in Japan and capital of Tokyo Prefecture (1868–1943), Tokyo Prefecture (or ''Tokyo-fu'') which existed from 1 May 1889 until the establishment of Tokyo Metropolis on 1 July 1943. The historical boundari ...

. As of May 2025, there are over 200 structures in Tokyo that stand at least tall, of which 49 are at least tall, including those that are still under construction but have been topped out. Most of these structures are

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

s; however, there are other types of structures among the tallest in the prefecture, such as freestanding

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

s and incineration smokestacks. The tallest structure in the prefecture is

Tokyo Skytree , also written as Tokyo Sky Tree, is a broadcasting and observation tower, located in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It has been the tallest tower in Japan since opening in 2012,

, a megatall

lattice tower A lattice tower or truss tower is a freestanding vertical latticework, framework tower. This construction is widely used in transmission towers carrying high-voltage electric power lines, in radio masts and towers (a self-radiating tower or as a ...

that rises , which was completed in 2012. It also stands as the tallest structure in Japan, the tallest tower in the world, and the third-tallest freestanding structure in the world. The second-tallest structure in Tokyo is the

Tokyo Tower , also known as the Japan Radio Tower (, ) is a Radio masts and towers, communications and observation tower in the district of Shiba-koen in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, completed in 1958. At , it was the List of tallest structures in Japan, tallest ...

, a lattice tower completed in 1958. The tallest building and third-tallest overall structure is the Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower, completed in 2023 and being Tokyo's only supertall skyscraper. 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 is the Nihonbashi 1-Chōme Central District Redevelopment (tentative name), which is topped out and scheduled for completion in 2026. Including topped-out buildings, Tokyo is home to 17 of the 25 tallest freestanding structures and 18 of the 25 tallest buildings in Japan. As of May 2025, 29 skyscrapers are under construction in the prefecture (150 m or taller), with 11 planned to rise higher than 200 metres, including a supertall skyscraper—the Torch Tower—which is set to become the new tallest building in Tokyo and Japan upon completion in 2028.

History

Skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

s are a relatively recent phenomenon in Japan. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the tallest buildings in Tokyo were the Ryōunkaku—severely damaged in the

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake (, or ) was a major earthquake that struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58:32 JST (02:58:32 UTC) on Saturday, 1 September 1923. It had an approximate magnitude of 8.0 on the mom ...

and subsequently demolished—and the

National Diet Building The is the building where both houses of the National Diet, National Diet of Japan meet. It is located at Nagatachō, Tokyo, Nagatachō 1-chome 7–1, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Sessions of the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives ta ...

. Due to aesthetic and engineering concerns, Japan's Building Standard Law set an absolute height limit of 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 skyscraper, rising 36 stories and in height. A booming post-war Japanese economy and the hosting of the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

helped lead to a building boom in Tokyo during the 1960s and 1970s. Tokyo pioneered the skyscraper construction boom in Asia (150 m or taller), with several of its skyscrapers holding the title of tallest building in Asia during those decades. Construction continued through the 1980s and 1990s as the

Japanese asset price bubble The was an economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1991 in which real estate and stock market prices were greatly inflated. In early 1992, this price bubble burst and the country's economy stagnated. The bubble was characterized by rapid acceler ...

rose and fell. Nishi-Shinjuku, a district within

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

, 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. Other major skyscraper districts have since been developed, such as the ones around

Tokyo Station Tōkyō Station (, ) is a major railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far ...

, Shiodome,

Toranomon is a business district of Minato, Tokyo. History Literally meaning "Tiger Gate", Toranomon was the name of the southernmost gate of Edo Castle. The gate existed until the 1870s, when it was demolished to make way for modern developments. The ...

, or

Shibuya Station is a major railway station in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Keio Corporation, Tokyu Corporation, and Tokyo Metro. It serves as a terminal for six railway lines, five of which are operated by Tokyo Metro ...

. 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 7 were completed since 2023. A total of 63 buildings standing at least 150 metres in height have been completed in the prefecture since 2015. Several other skyscraper construction projects have been proposed for the near future, as Tokyo is experiencing a "once-in-a-century" redevelopment boom.

Tallest buildings

This list ranks the 50 tallest

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

s in Tokyo, based on standard height measurement. This height includes

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

s and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates that two or more buildings share the same height. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed. Freestanding

s, smokestacks, and other non-habitable or partially habitable structures are included for comparison purposes; however, they are not ranked. These structures are measured by pinnacle height, which includes masts.

Tallest buildings in each ward or city

The tables below list the tallest buildings in each of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, as well as in cities of

with buildings that stand approximately or taller. Non-habitable or partially habitable structures are included if they are the tallest structure in a ward or city. Azabudai_Hills_Mori_JP_Tower_on_opening_day%2C_seen_from_Roppongi_Hills_5

Azabudai_Hills_Mori_JP_Tower_on_opening_day%2C_seen_from_Roppongi_Hills_5

Demolished buildings

This table lists buildings in Tokyo that have been demolished and once rose approximately or taller, based on standard height measurement. The "Year built" column indicates the year in which a building was completed, while the "Year demolished" column indicates the year in which demolition work was finished. Buildings currently being demolished are also included, as well as buildings that are planned to be demolished.

Tallest under construction, proposed, and canceled

The tables below list projects currently under construction, proposed for construction, and plans that have been canceled. The cut-off height used for all lists corresponds to the height of the last entry on the Tallest buildings list above. Visionary projects are excluded but can be found in the List of tallest structures envisioned for Tokyo.

Under construction

This table lists buildings currently under construction in Tokyo that are planned to rise at least . Buildings that have been topped out but are not yet completed are also included. A total of 29 skyscraper projects planned to rise at least are underway in Tokyo, as of May 2025.

Proposed

This table lists buildings that are proposed for construction in Tokyo and are expected to rise at least . Several other skyscraper projects planned to rise at least have been proposed.

Canceled

This table lists construction projects that have been canceled and were expected to rise at least .

Timeline of tallest buildings

This is a list of buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Tokyo. Currently, the title belongs to Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower. However, the tallest structure is

Tokyo Skytree , also written as Tokyo Sky Tree, is a broadcasting and observation tower, located in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It has been the tallest tower in Japan since opening in 2012,

. Since its completion in 2012, it has been the tallest structure in Tokyo as well as in Japan, overtaking

Tallest structures

This list ranks Tokyo structures, including freestanding

s, smokestacks, and other non-habitable or partially habitable structures that stand at least tall, based on standard height measurement. This height includes spires, architectural details, and antenna masts, corresponding to the pinnacle height. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a structure was completed. Buildings are included only if their total height, including non-habitable structures like masts or

s, is 195 metres or more, but their architectural or roof height without such additions does not meet the cut-off for the Tallest buildings list. Those that are at least 195 metres tall without the aid of non-habitable structures are excluded from this list, as they are eligible for the "50 tallest skyscrapers in Tokyo" ranking.

Demolished or destroyed structures

This table lists non-habitable or partially habitable structures that have been demolished or destroyed in Tokyo, including the remote islands of

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

and Minami-Torishima (Marcus Island), and once rose approximately or taller, based on standard height measurement. The "Year built" column indicates the year in which a structure was completed, while the "Year demolished" column indicates the year in which demolition work was finished. If the year in which a structure was fully demolished is unknown, the year demolition started is provided instead. Structures currently being demolished are also included, as well as those that are planned to be demolished.

Notes

:A. This structure is not a habitable building but is included in this list for comparative purposes. Per a ruling by the

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings, including skyscrapers, and Sustainable design, sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in ...

, freestanding observation towers, chimneys or masts are not considered to be buildings, as they are not fully habitable structures. :B. Marcus Island is not within the

. Administratively, the island is part of

Ogasawara, Tokyo is a village in Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Jap ...

. :C. Nishitōkyō is not within the

. It is one of the 30 cities, towns and villages included in

. :D.

is not within the