Tokyo Tower Completion Day

What Is Tokyo Tower Completion Day?

Every December 23rd is "Tokyo Tower Completion Day" (東京タワー完工の日, Tōkyō Tawā Kankō no Hi) in Japan. On December 23, 1958, Tokyo Tower (東京タワー) — a 333-meter steel lattice tower in Minato Ward, Tokyo — was formally completed, becoming the tallest structure in Japan and, at the time, the tallest self-supporting steel tower in the world. Built primarily as a broadcasting tower to transmit television and radio signals across the Tokyo metropolitan area, Tokyo Tower became an immediate symbol of Japan's postwar recovery and modernization ambition.

Tokyo Tower: Symbol of Postwar Recovery

Tokyo Tower was constructed in just 18 months — a remarkable achievement that itself symbolized the speed of Japan's postwar industrial recovery. The tower was designed by structural engineer Tachū Naitō (内藤多仲) together with Nikken Sekkei, and the steel for the section above the Special Observatory was made partly from U.S. Army tanks scrapped after the Korean War. At 333 meters, it stood 21 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower's original height of 312 meters (the Eiffel Tower had reached about 321 meters with an antenna added in 1957, still short of Tokyo Tower), and its design is said to have been inspired by the Paris landmark.

Broadcasting and Beyond

Tokyo Tower served as Tokyo's primary television broadcast facility from 1958 until May 31, 2013, when digital terrestrial television transmission moved to Tokyo Skytree (634 meters). Tokyo Tower now serves as a backup transmission site and continues to operate as a popular tourist attraction, said to welcome about 3 million visitors a year. The tower's distinctive orange-and-white paint scheme (a daytime obstruction marking for aircraft) has made it one of Japan's most recognizable landmarks, visible from across Tokyo and immortalized in countless films, anime, and photographs.

Cultural Legacy

Tokyo Tower appears in an extraordinary number of Japanese films, anime series, and popular culture works as a symbol of Tokyo itself — its illuminated silhouette against the night sky representing the city's energy and modernity. The tower has appeared in Godzilla films (as a target of monster destruction), romance dramas (as a romantic backdrop), and countless anime series set in Tokyo. Its role as a cultural symbol has proven even more enduring than its broadcasting function.

Fun Facts

• Color standards: Tokyo Tower's orange-and-white striped paint scheme serves as a daytime obstruction marking so that aircraft can easily see the tower. The precise orange shade is "international orange" — the same color used for the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
• Valentine's Day lighting: Tokyo Tower offers special illumination for Valentine's Day, White Day, and various seasonal events — its position as a romantic landmark and urban icon makes it a natural focal point for Tokyo's calendar of illumination events.