For the first time in Japan, the design was chosen via a public design competition. Of the 195 entries, the work submitted by Sachio Otani was selected as the most outstanding design.
Construction began on January 24, 1964, and was completed on March 20, 1966. The conference center opened on May 21 of that year.
Construction of the first addition to the center was decided as needs relating to press center functions increased. Additional construction was thus undertaken for a joint press conference room, a press center and a banquet hall (Sakura). Work was completed in December 1972.
Later, an event hall was added in response to growing demand for display facilities. Event Hall can be used for many purposes, in addition to exhibitions and displays. Construction of the hall began in July 1983, and finished in April 1985.
The conference center buildings have received high acclaim from the start. They draw on the traditional beauty of Japanese architecture and feature spatial beauty worthy of an international conference center. In 1998, they were selected for inclusion in the <Best 100 Public Buildings>, a project commemorating the 50th anniversary of establishment of the Ministry of Construction. In 2003, the Architectural Institute of Japan included the conference center in its <Best 100 Examples of Modern Movement Architecture in Japan>. Selection was based on the composition of esthetic lines and facets originating in rationalist concepts, and other features of the 18th and 19th centuries.