Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

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The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (東京都庁舎, Tōkyō-to Chōsha^?), (also referred to as Tokyo City Hall, or tochō (都庁) for short) is the building which houses the headquarters of Tokyo local government; this comprises not only the 23 wards that people think of as the "city" of Tokyo, but also the cities, towns and villages that make up Tokyo as a whole.

Located in Shinjuku, it has held title of the tallest building (by roof height) in Tokyo, at 243 meters (799 feet), since 1991. This title will be surrendered in 2007 upon the completion of Tokyo Mid-Town Tower. The two top-floor observation decks are free of charge to the public. They are open till 11pm on weekdays. Using cameras is enabled, but tripods are forbidden.

The building consists of a complex of three structures each taking up a city block. The tallest and most prominent of the three is Tokyo Metropolitan Main building No.1, a tower 48 stories tall that splits into two sections at the 33rd floor. The building also has three levels below ground. The design of the building (which was supposed to look like a computer chip), by architect Kenzo Tange (and associates), has many symbolic touches, most notably the aforementioned split which re-creates the look of a Gothic cathedral.

Finished in 1991 at the expense of 157 billion yen (about $US 1 billion) of public money, a popular nickname for Tochō is "Tax Tower."

The other two buildings in the complex are eight-story Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Building (including one underground floor) and Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building No.2, which has 37 stories including three below ground.

[edit] In fiction

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As one of the distinguishing landmarks of Tokyo, the building is often featured in anime and films:

In Digimon Tamers, the building houses the headquarters of the secretive government organisation, Hypnos.

In X/1999, the basement of the building is headquarters for the Chi No Ryu and houses the giant computer "Beast".

In the Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig episode Excavation, Togusa discovers a nefarious excavation under the building in submerged pre-war Tokyo.

In the controversial 2003 film Battle Royale 2, the building and all surrounding skyscrapers are destroyed by the terrorist group Wild Seven.

In Action Kamen vs Haigure Mao, one of the many and Crayon Shin-Chan's movies, the building is used as landing spot for the main villain's extraterrestrial spacecraft.

In the background of several shots in Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer, which was shot on location in Shinjuku.

In the 1991 film Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, the final battle between Godzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah takes place on and near the grounds of this building. During the bout, the tops of the twin spires are blown off by Godzilla's atomic heat ray.