Completed in 1929, Hibiya Public Hall (日比谷公会堂) became symbol of reconstruction after the Great Kanto Earthquake (1923). It is located in the southeast corner of Hibiya Park in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. The exterior of the building is in a neo-Gothic style. It is Japan’s first full-scale concert hall, a Tokyo Metropolitan Historical Building, and a Tokyo Metropolitan Tangible Cultural Property.
The idea to build such a building in Tokyo belonged to mayor Shinpei Goto and was realized with the large donation of Zenjiro Yasuda, the founder of the Yasuda Zaibatsu, one of the four major business conglomerates “zaibatsu” of Imperial Japan (along with Mitsubishi, Mitsui and Sumitomo). Yasuda also donated the Yasuda Auditorium of the University of Tokyo, a building with the same architectural style.
Hibiya Public Hall has been closed since 2016 for renovation due to issues with its earthquake resistance and is expected to reopen in 2029, to mark its 100th anniversary.
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