The European Union on Wednesday unveiled its new office in Minato Ward, Tokyo — the first fully owned overseas facility ever built by an EU delegation.
Speaking at a news conference at the new facility, EU Ambassador to Japan Hans Dietmar Schweisgut said he was pleased that construction of "Europa House" took a relatively short time.
"I'm still a bit surprised that it was possible to purchase the land in 2006 . . . and complete construction in five years," he said.
The delegation's old office was in Chiyoda Ward. The new building, which the delegation moved into last month, has both office and residential wings, and includes conference halls, the ambassador's residence and 20 apartments for delegation employees, as well as underground parking and storage facilities.
Schweisgut said the EU, which has rented office space in Tokyo since 1974, the year it established a delegation in Japan, was in recent years paying around ¥200 million annually to rent office space and housing for its staff. The high costs prompted the delegation in 2003 to begin searching for a cheaper alternative.