JAPAN: Builders say Tokyo Sky Tree Tower will be tallest in East Asia

Record ID: 464035

  • Title: JAPAN: Builders say Tokyo Sky Tree Tower will be tallest in East Asia
  • Date: 17th October 2009
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (OCTOBER 16,2009) (REUTERS) TOKYO SKY TREE UNDER CONSTRUCTION SIGN DISPLAYING CURRENT HEIGHT OF THE TOWER CRANES ON TOP OF TOWER ONLOOKERS WATCHING CONSTRUCTION SITE ONLOOKER TAKING PHOTO (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) MIWAKO MIYAKAWA, 35-YEAR-OLD HOUSEWIFE, SAYING: "By the time it's finished, he should be able to walk around, so I'm looking forward to it." (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) KEITA NAGAKUBO, 21-YEAR ARCHITECTURAL STUDENT, SAYING: "As this is the first time that a structure this tall will be built in Japan, I have to say that I'm quite excited." MAN DRAWING CONSTRUCTION SITE AND TOWER MAN DRAWING TOWER MAN DRAWING WITH TOKYO SKY TREE IN BACKGROUND
  • Embargoed: 1st November 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAZANJAPR0O68HQI8DSKHC6VBD
  • Story Text: Tokyo's Sky Tree Tower will be the tallest in East Asia when completed in 2011 according to its builders on Friday (October 16).
    In a surprise announcement at a conference planned to show off the lighting design of the Tower, Tobu Tower Skytree President Kinya Miyasugi told reporters that the planned height of 610 metres (2001 feet) would be stretched to 634 metres (2080 feet), making it the tallest structure in East Asia, surpassing the Guanzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower in China.
    "We have decided that the final height of the tower will be 634 metres," Miyasugi said at a conference in downtown Tokyo.
    With the tower rising to 634 metres, it will be nearly twice as high as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (324 metres or 1063 feet) and even tower over the previous holder of the tallest structure in the world - the 553.3 metre (1815 feet) CN tower in Ontario, Canada.
    It will also be the world's second tallest structure after the 818 metre (2683 feet) high Burj Dubai (or Dubai Tower) in the United Arab Emirates, assuming that South Korea's Incheon Tower remains at the planned 610 metres when it's completed in 2013.
    The builders say they also hope the soaring structure will help lift the nation out of the current economic doldrums.
    "As I'm sure you're well aware, ever since the financial crisis Japan's economy has gone downhill and many projects have been stopped or had their timeline extended. In the midst of this, we hope to make a project that is both uplifting and allows Japan to show its culture," Miyasugi explained to Reuters after the news conference.
    Construction began last year on the massive tower, which already towers over the old Tokyo downtown district bordering the Sumida river. Already 160 metres, it's a tourist attraction and local landmark, pulling curious onlookers from all over the country.
    "By the time it's finished, he should be able to walk around, so I'm looking forward to it," said Miwako Miyakawa, a 35-year-old housewife living near the tower, holding her 11 month old baby Chiho in her arms.
    Others were excited about the new tower replacing the aging Tokyo Tower.
    "As this is the first time that a structure this tall will be built in Japan, I have to say that I'm quite excited," 21-year-old architectural student Keita Nagakubo told Reuters.
    The tower, which was designed by Ando Tadao, and has raised 60 billion yen (approximately $667 million U.S dollars) to finance the construction, is expected to be finished December of 2011, with the tower and surrounding shopping complex opening in the Spring of 2012.
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