Japan has a new record for its tallest skyscraper: the 300-meter tall Abeno Harukas in Osaka. The building’s operator, Japan Railway’s Kintetsu Corporation, announced on Thursday that, while still under construction, the Abeno Harukas has topped the country’s previous record. This might sound a little contradictory, what with all the news this summer about the landmark 634-meter tall Tokyo Skytree‘s opening, however that set the record the world’s tallest broadcasting tower, this new Osaka building has actual floors for businesses and offices, not just two observation decks.
The new 60-story skyscraper set its record on Thursday morning, the railway company said, by installing an 11-meter steel beam on the top of the building, bringing it over the previous 296-meter tall record. The Abeno Harukas is being built in the western city of Osaka, Japan’s second largest metropolitan area after Tokyo. Set in the city’s southern commercial district, the new landmark will be in the center of a hub of railway terminals, where Kintetsu lines and others connect.
It will be some time before the public can enjoy the new skyscraper, as its completion isn’t scheduled until 2014. While not official until then, the Abeno Harukas technically replaced the Yokohama Landmark Tower as the tallest building in Japan. The building will offer a total floor space of over 300,000 square meters, and among the businesses inside will be a museum, hotel, department store, and several restaurants and offices.
[via China Daily]