Commissioned in 2002, the new official residence of the Japanese Prime Minister (Kantei), where the Prime Minister works and meets with foreign guests, has five floors above ground and one floor below.
The front of the main entrance is fully glassed, with only one wall wood panelled. The main idea of the architect was to show that the head of government must be closer to the people and his work fully transparent to society.
Hundreds of solar panels (with a total surface of 7,000 square metres) installed on the Kantei roof are used as a supplementary source of electricity. The residence also has environmentally safe fuel cells that generate electricity using an electrical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, as well as a wind power generator. The Kantei's electrical supply is believed to remain fully operational for seven days in the event of an emergency.
The first Kantei was a two-story mansion, built in 1929 for Prime Minister Tanaka Giichi. It has a rather gloomy history, as a group of right wing conspirators shot Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi there in 1932, while Imperial Guard officers attempted to storm the building in 1936.
When the new Kantei was completed in April 2002, the first Kantei was moved 50 meters to the south and overhauled into the Prime Minister's living quarters. The modernisation, which cost some $80 million, was completed in 2005.