Akasaka Palace

Akasaka Palace (赤坂離宮, Akasaka Rikyū) is a state guest house (迎賓館, geihinkan) of the government of Japan. Other state guesthouses of the government include the Kyoto State Guest House.

The palace was originally built as the Imperial Palace for the Crown Prince (東宮御所, Tōgū Gosho) in 1909. The palace is designated as an official accommodation for visiting state dignitaries by the government of Japan. Located in the Moto-Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, the building took on its present function in 1974, having previously been an imperial detached palace. In 2009 the palace was designated as a National Treasure of Japan.

The building's address is Tokyo, Minato-ku, Moto-Akasaka-chome No. 1.

The building has 15,000 square metres (160,000 sq ft) of floor space, and together with a smaller structure in the Japanese style, occupies a 117,000-square-metre (1,260,000 sq ft) site.

The main building is a Neo-Baroque style Western building, resembling in particular the Hofburg Palace and the Palace of Versailles. It is one of largest buildings constructed during the Meiji period.

The palace is surrounded by a footpath unobstructed by road crossings. The footpath is approximately 3.25 km long (roughly 2 miles).

The railway station nearest the Palace is Yotsuya Station.

The territory that Akasaka Palace now occupies was part of the residence of Kishū Domain, one of the major branches (gosanke) of the ruling Tokugawa clan, during the Tokugawa period. After the Meiji Restoration, the Owari presented the land to the Imperial Household.