JA Building

A 37-story, approximately 180-meter office tower completed in 2009 as the first phase of the Otemachi Chain-type Urban Redevelopment Project. Houses the national headquarters of JA Zenchu and JA Zen-noh, connected at its lower floors to the Nikkei Building and Keidanren Kaikan via a glass-roofed mall.

Use

Office tower

Area

Chiyoda City

Completed

2009

Floors

37 above ground, 3 below

Height

180 m

Total floor area

approx. 88,656 m²

Developer

Otemachi Development Co., Ltd. (JA Zenchu, JA Zen-noh, Norinchukin Bank, NTT Urban Development, Sankei Building, Tokyo Tatemono, Mitsubishi Estate)

Architect

Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei / Zenkoku Nokyo Sekkei / NTT Facilities (joint design)

The Agricultural Cooperative Headquarters That Anchored Otemachi’s Chain Redevelopment

JA Building is a 37-story, 3-basement office tower standing approximately 180 meters tall, completed in April 2009 in Otemachi 1-chome, Chiyoda City. It is home to the national headquarters of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Central Union (JA Zenchu) and the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (JA Zen-noh). Its gross floor area reaches approximately 88,600 m². The design was a joint effort by Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei, Zenkoku Nokyo Sekkei, and NTT Facilities, with Kajima Corporation as general contractor. The developer, Otemachi Development Co., Ltd., brought together agricultural cooperative organizations alongside private developers including Mitsubishi Estate, Tokyo Tatemono, NTT Urban Development, and Sankei Building.

Understanding this building requires knowing the “Otemachi Chain-type Urban Redevelopment Project.” The scheme works by replacing ageing office blocks in sequence: once one new building is complete, the process cascades to the next demolition and rebuild — updating a prime business district without ever stopping. JA Building served as the first phase of that chain. It was completed simultaneously in April 2009 alongside the Nikkei Building and Keidanren Kaikan as part of the Otemachi 1-chome District Type 1 Urban Redevelopment Project. The three towers connect at their lower floors through a glass-roofed mall that operates as the Otemachi Conference Center. Subsequent chain-phase buildings — including Otemachi Tower (2014) — built on the land-use framework that this first phase established.

Agricultural Cooperation at the Heart of a Financial District

Otemachi is most often associated with city banks, securities firms, and trading companies. Seeing the central headquarters of Japan’s agricultural cooperative movement occupying a prominent tower in this same district offers a striking reminder of the scale and reach of Japan’s farm and food organisations. Norinchukin Bank also maintained its head office here initially, before relocating to the Otemachi One tower, also in Otemachi, in February 2022. JA Zenchu and JA Zen-noh remain, keeping the network’s operational core in this building.

Summary

JA Building, completed in 2009 as a 37-story tower approximately 180 meters tall, was the first link in Otemachi’s celebrated chain-type redevelopment. The sight of Japan’s leading agricultural cooperative bodies headquartered in the center of one of Tokyo’s premier financial districts speaks to the breadth of these organizations’ influence. Walk the glass-roofed mall connecting JA Building, the Nikkei Building, and Keidanren Kaikan, and the sequential logic of how Tokyo’s business core keeps reinventing itself comes into focus.

Related articles: Otemachi Tower / Otemachi Place

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