MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tokyo Sky Tree with 601 meters became the world’s highest self-standing tower

The 634 metre project should be finished at the end of the year at a cost of 790 million dollars

Tokyo Sky Tree, under construction in Tokyo, topped the 600-meter mark Tuesday, becoming the world’s highest self-standing tower nearly two years and seven months after the construction began in July 2008, the operator said.

The new communications tower in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward reached 601 meters, eclipsing the 600-meter-high Canton Tower in China, Tobu Tower Sky Tree Co said. It will enter the final phase of construction to reach the 634-meter tidemark, the operator said.

The Sky Tree is scheduled to reach 634 metres when construction is completed at the end of 2011. Tobu Railway is the main investor in the 790 million USD project.

“We are delighted to see the tower become the world No. 1,” said Tobu Railway spokesman Shota Mitsui. “But we still have more work to do, and we will continue enforcing safety first in completing the project.”

To keep the structure safe during Japan's frequent earthquakes, the tower boasts a cutting-edge, anti-seismic design, including pilings that fan out underground like the branches of a tree.

The tower consists of two parts, an outer steel frame and an inner shaft of reinforced concrete, which can move separately to cancel shocks.