The , formerly the Kitashirakawa Palace, is an upscale hotel in Chiyoda

Chiyoda, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

It is located across the moat from Akasaka-mitsuke Station

Akasaka-mitsuke Station

is a Tokyo Metro station located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.-Lines:The station is also connected by underground passageways to , which is served by the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line, Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line and Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, and it is possible to transfer between the two stations without...

, and next to the back of the Hotel New Otani in Kioicho. The newer building designed by Kenzo Tange

Kenzo Tange

was a Japanese architect, and winner of the 1987 Pritzker Prize for architecture. He was one of the most significant architects of the 20th century, combining traditional Japanese styles with modernism, and designed major buildings on five continents. Tange was also an influential protagonist of...

 is 30+ stories tall and laminated in aluminium. Because of its proximity to Nagatachō Station

Nagatacho Station

is a subway station on the Tokyo Metro network, located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.It is connected by underground walkways to Akasaka-mitsuke Station on the Ginza Line and Marunouchi Line.-History:...

 and the National Diet buildings, it is often used by Japanese politicians for meetings and press conferences.

In 2007 the hotel was renamed "Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka" following the reorganization of the Prince hotel group.

In April 2010, it was announced that the hotel would close in March 2011 and be dismantled.

After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...

in March 2011, it was announced that the hotel would remain open through June 2011 to house evacuees from Fukushima prefecture.