Portal:Tokyo/Selected article/5

Tokyo is the most populated of Japan's 47 sub-national prefectures. In Tokyo, there are 35 buildings and structures that stand taller than 180 metres (591 ft). The tallest structure in the prefecture is Tokyo Tower, a lattice tower that rises 333 metres (1,091 ft), which was completed in 1958. It also stands as the tallest structure in Japan and the tallest free-standing steel structure in the world. The tallest building and second-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, 18 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 70s. Construction continued through the 1980s and 90s as the Japanese asset price bubble rose and fell. 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.