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Landmark & Tower · Kasumigaseki

Red Brick Building of the Ministry of Justice 法務省旧本館（赤れんが棟）

A German neo-Baroque red-brick ministry from 1895 by Ende and Boeckmann, standing amid Kasumigaseki's grey towers, with a small free museum of Japanese legal history inside.

HoursMuseum weekdays (approx. 10:00–18:00; check before visiting); exterior anytime
ClosedWeekends, national holidays, year-end and New Year (museum)
PriceFree
Getting thereSakuradamon Station (Yurakucho Line, exit 5), 1 min; Kasumigaseki Station, 3 min
Time needed20–40 min
Best timeWeekday daytime
Address1-1-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda City, Tokyo

About

Designed by the Berlin architects Hermann Ende and Wilhelm Boeckmann and completed in 1895, the old Ministry of Justice main building is one of the few survivors of the Meiji government's plan to rebuild Kasumigaseki as a European-style capital district. Its red brick, sandstone trim and steep slate roofs survived the 1923 earthquake thanks to iron-reinforced walls, but were gutted by fire in the 1945 air raids. Restored to its original appearance in 1994, it was designated an Important Cultural Property and is still used by the ministry for its library and training institute. Part of the building houses a small museum displaying documents on the modernisation of Japan's legal system and a restored Meiji-era room. The building's garden facade, framed by trees, is one of the most handsome sights in the government district.

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Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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