3 days ago
Groundbreaking ceremony held for new national archives building in Tokyo
A groundbreaking ceremony was held at a site near the Diet, Japan's parliament, in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Monday for the new National Archives of Japan, which is expected to open at the end of fiscal 2029.
The new facility was initially planned to open in fiscal 2026, but the opening was delayed due to research on culturally important burial grounds and a difficult bidding process.
The Parliamentary Museum, which previously stood on the site, will also be rebuilt.
The new archives will have three stories above ground and four underground levels. Including the new museum, the total area will be 42,400 square meters. The total construction cost is estimated at about ¥48.89 billion.
The current main building of the archives, located in Kitanomaru Garden — north of the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo — was built in 1971. In light of the aging facility and the prospect of the stacks there becoming full, the government started discussing reconstruction in 2014.
