Damage to Cable Caused Skytree Elevator to Stall; Company Will Install Netting to Prevent Recurrence

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:40 JST, February 26, 2026

Tobu Tower Skytree Co., the operator of Tokyo Skytree, has announced that it was damage to a cable that caused an elevator to stall, trapping 20 passengers inside on Sunday evening.

After a general inspection confirmed that three other elevators were operating safely — excluding the one involved in the accident — Tokyo Skytree reopened at 10 a.m. on Thursday. The facility was closed to visitors after the incident.

According to the company, the damaged cable was one that runs vertically through the elevator shaft and transmits things such as electric power and signals to the elevator car. The company and Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corp., which manufactured the elevator, found that the cable had become caught in a wheel beneath the car, damaging it and causing the internal circuitry to short, resulting in the car stopping.

The cable appears to have become twisted and, under the influence of wind, come into contact with the car. The company said it will install protective covers to prevent any cables from being caught in wheels again.

“We sincerely apologize for causing worry and concern to so many people,” Takashi Murayama, director of Tobu Tower Skytree Co., said at a press conference on Wednesday.