The Prime Minister's Official Residence is the principal workplace and residence of the Prime Minister of Japan. It is commonly referred to as Sōri Daijin Kantei, Shushō Kantei, or simply Kantei.
About
Located at 2-3-1 Nagata-chō, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8968, it is diagonally adjacent to the National Diet Building. The new residence went into service in April 2002 and replaced the former residence, built in 1929. The former residence is now known as the Sōri Kōtei, the official Prime Minister's Residential Quarters. The term Kantei is used as a metonym for the office of the Prime Minister of Japan and for the Prime Minister's advisors and administration in general. In addition to the Prime Minister's Official Residence being the principal office of the Prime Minister, the Chief Cabinet Secretary and the Deputy Cabinet Secretaries perform their daily duties, it is also the place where important Cabinet meetings take place, where foreign leaders are welcomed and entertained, and is also the location of a national crisis management center.
Name
The Prime Minister's Official Residence is called Sōri Daijin Kantei, also known as the Sōri Kantei, the Shushō Kantei or simply the Kantei. The Residential Quarters is called Sōri Kōtei.
History
With the evolution of a national Parliament after the Meiji Restoration and the establishment of the post of "Prime Minister of Japan" in 1885, the need for an official Prime Ministerial residence was felt. On the encouragement of Prime Minister Tanaka Giichi, the first residence was completed on 18 March 1929. It was a two-storied mansion designed by Muraji Shimomoto, of the Ministry of the Treasury and was heavily influenced by the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Indeed, Prime Minister Tanaka is said to have exclaimed, "This is just like a café, isn't it?", upon seeing the Art Deco style of the building. By the 1990s, the building was deemed cramped and insufficient, and a new five-storied residence was built in 2002 next to the old, with 2.5 times the floor space. Installed with solar panels and a rainwater storage system, the new building has been designed to minimize environmental impact. In an April 2015 incident, a Phantom 2 drone carrying traces of radiation was found on the roof of the PM's office. It had been controlled by Yasuo Yamamoto, an anti-nuclear protester from Fukui Prefecture. Yamamoto flew the drone there carrying sand containing cesium from Fukushima prefecture on April 9, but the drone was not discovered until April 22. Yamamoto later received a two-year suspended sentence.
Former official residence (1929)
The old official residence was completed on March 18, 1929. It incorporates architectural styles such as art deco and expressionist architecture which became popular from the late Taishō period to the early Shōwa period. It has similarities to Frank Lloyd Wright's design of the former second Imperial Hotel main building. It was designed by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Construction and Shimomoto Muraji. The building of the former official residence was renovated and it is now being used as the Prime Minister's official Residential Quarters. Outline of the former official residence:
