In pictures: Koizumi's new home

The new official residence of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has opened in Tokyo after six years of construction that cost 43.5bn yen ($334m).

The ultra-modern five-storey building sports bullet-proof windows, a crisis management bunker and rooftop helipads.

The wood and metal building is more than twice the size of the old residence

The style is a mixture of modernity and Japanese tradition

But increased security has sparked alarm among Japan's press that they will be restricted

The theme of simplicity and elegance is echoed throughout the building

Japan hopes the official residence will come to symbolise Tokyo