Japan's Parliament Building to Face USD446M Renovation

(MENAFN) Japan's storied seat of legislative power is on the cusp of its most sweeping transformation since the 1930s, with authorities moving to address mounting structural safety alarms at the iconic National Diet Building in central Tokyo, media reports confirmed Sunday.

Work on the century-old landmark is slated to kick off in 2030 and run for approximately eight years, carrying a projected price tag of 60 to 70 billion yen — equivalent to roughly $382 million to $446 million — according to Tokyo-based media. Analysts caution, however, that ballooning material costs could push final expenditures significantly higher.

At the heart of the sweeping upgrade is an engineering solution designed to keep lawmakers functioning without interruption: a seismic isolation layer to be installed beneath the nine-story structure's existing foundations, allowing parliament to remain fully operational throughout the construction period.

The building — a commanding 53,460-square-meter edifice distinguished by its pyramid-crowned roofline and polished granite exterior — was formally inaugurated in 1936, capping 17 grueling years of construction. Its reinforced concrete frame houses the deliberation chambers of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. Among its most prized interior spaces is an imperial reception room crafted entirely from Japanese cypress and finished in delicate lacquer — reserved exclusively for the emperor's visits to the Diet.

While a 1981 structural assessment confirmed the building met earthquake-resistance standards updated around that period, warning signs emerged decades later. A specialist panel convened by parliament conducted a fresh evaluation in 2019, raising red flags over the structure's deteriorating condition. Those concerns deepened when a 2023 report documented the risk of falling debris caused by warping in the steel frames of both the central tower and legislative chambers, formally recommending a comprehensive renovation to bolster the building's resilience against seismic events.

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