Editor’s Note
This article details the redevelopment plans for the site of Kobe’s former Japan Pearl Hall, a historic hub for the pearl trade. The project marks a significant transition for this landmark location.
Tokyo Tatemono Co., Ltd. has decided to undertake the development of a complex facility (hereinafter referred to as “this redevelopment project”) on the site of the former “Japan Pearl Hall” (located in the former foreign settlement area of Chuo-ku, Kobe City, hereinafter “the former building”), a hub of Japan’s pearl industry which closed in March 2023 due to deterioration.
Kobe is a major global hub for the pearl industry, handling the sorting and processing of approximately 70%*1 of pearls circulated worldwide. The former building housed facilities such as the “Kobe Pearl Museum”*2, which displayed models to convey the appeal of pearls, and a “Bidding Venue” for pearl auctions, serving as a hub for the pearl industry for about 70 years. In the new building, scheduled for completion around June 2026, the Japan Pearl Exporters Association (location: Chuo-ku, Kobe City; Chairman: Joji Kakuta), which owned the former building, will establish a new “Japan Pearl Hall” on the first and second floors, planning to reopen facilities such as the “Kobe Pearl Museum” and the “Bidding Venue” that were in the former building.
In 1952 (Showa 27), Hyogo Prefecture and others developed it as a base for inspection and trade in Kobe, a hub for the pearl industry. The building had a site area of approximately 740 m² and was a 4-story above ground, 1-story below ground reinforced concrete structure designed by architect Yoshimitsu Mitsuyasu, and was highly regarded as a modernist architecture symbolizing Kobe. Due to the progressive deterioration of the building and facilities, a decision was made in 2014 to rebuild, and after discussions on the development policy, etc., this redevelopment project was initiated.
• Name: Japan Pearl Hall Redevelopment Project
• Location: 122-1 Higashimachi, 121-2 Itocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture (Lot numbers)
• Site Area: 743.79 m²
• Number of Floors: 13 stories above ground, 1 story below ground
• Structure: Reinforced concrete
• Total Floor Area: Approximately 5,802 m²
• Building Use: Condominiums, Exhibition Hall, Offices
• March 2023: Japan Pearl Hall and Kobe Pearl Museum closed.
• October 2023: Fixed-term land lease agreement concluded.
• November 2023: Demolition work commenced.
• End of June 2024: Construction of new building scheduled to start (planned).
• Around June 2026: New building scheduled for completion (planned).
*1 Source: Kobe City HP.
*2 A museum operated by the Japan Pearl Exporters Association that displayed models and pearls to convey the origins and appeal of pearls. It closed on March 31, 2023. The exhibits are currently on display in the library on the 3rd floor of the Kobe Fashion Museum. The name upon reopening is undecided.