of Tokyo Olympics 1964. Through the economic revival of the country after the Second World War, the Japanese Government established a State Guest House. The former residence of Prince Asaka, currently Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, had been used as the state guest house, though it was too small for that purpose. It was decided in 1967 to renovate the former Akasaka Palace as the new state guest house. The renovation was led by architect Togo Murano, took more than five years and 10.8 billion yen, and was completed in 1974. The first official state guest at the renovated palace was Gerald Ford in 1974, which was the first visit of the incumbent President of the United States to Japan. Since then, the palace has provided accommodations for state and official guests and a venue for international conferences, which have included the G7 summit meetings (1979, 1986 and 1993) and APEC summits. The venue was closed from 2006 to 2009 for renovation, and was reopened in April 2009. In December 2009, the main building, the main gate and the garden with fountain were designated as a National Treasure of Japan. It was the first designation of assets after the Meiji Restoration as a National Treasure of Japan. Gallery See also Rokumeikan Imperial Hotel, Tokyo Palace Hotel, Tokyo Royal Palace of El Pardo, the state guest house of Spain. Blair House, the state guest house of the United States Hyderabad House, the state guest house of India Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the state guest house of the People's Republic of China Grand Hotel (Taipei), the state guest house of the Republic of China References External links Cabinet Office's official site (with photo gallery) Akasaka, Tokyo Palaces in Tokyo Imperial residences in Japan Tourist attractions in Tokyo Baroque Revival architecture National Treasures of Japan Buildings of the Meiji period Houses completed in 1909 State guesthouses