TOKYO ROCK CITY Co., Ltd., established in April of this year, has launched the "Asakusa Roku-ku Revitalization Project," a redevelopment plan for the Asakusa Roku-ku district of Taito Ward. TOKYO ROCK CITY is a joint venture between four companies: major pachinko companies Maruhan and Shochiku, major entertainment agency Amuse, and Asakusa tourism planner SEGURAS. This project aims to revitalize the Asakusa area, centered around the Asakusa Roku-ku district, through live entertainment and to create a vibrant, lively space. The first phase of the project involves redeveloping the Asakusa Chugeki Kaikan and Asakusa Shingeki Kaikan, formerly home to the Asakusa Chuei Theater, which closed last year. The Maruhan Shochiku Roku-ku Tower, a multi-purpose entertainment complex featuring two theaters, amusement facilities, restaurants, and more, will open in December of next year. The exterior design is reminiscent of the Ryōunkaku Tower, a symbolic tower of Asakusa built during the Meiji period and demolished following the Great Kanto Earthquake. The building will have one basement floor and eight floors above ground. The content performed at the theater is not outsourced, but is managed by Tokyo Roku-ku City, the promoter. Amuse CEO Yohji Osato serves as general producer, producing and presenting plays for both medium-sized and small theaters with a global perspective. Asakusa Roku-ku is located west of Sensoji Temple, and its downtown area is the approximately 300-meter-long Roku-ku Broadway. Japan's first permanent movie theater opened here during the Meiji period, and the operetta-style "Asakusa Opera," featuring comedian Kenichi Enomoto, known as the "King of Comedy of Japan," became a huge hit during the Taisho period. After the war, the French Theater continued to produce many entertainers, including Beat Takeshi and Kinichi Hagimoto, and the area flourished as a gathering place for theater, film, and rakugo comedy. However, with the spread of television, the last remaining movie theaters closed one after another. Today, Asakusa attracts more than 20 million visitors annually from Japan and abroad. The area is undergoing major changes following the opening of Skytree last year and the Sumida River revitalization project.