A concrete-filled steel tube (CFT) column system has many advantages compared with ordinary sttel or reinforced concrete system. One of the main advantages is the interaction between steel tube and concrete: occurrence of the local buckling of steel tube is delayed by the restraint of concrete, and the strength of concrete is increased by the confining effect provided from the steel tube. Extensive research work has been done in Japan over the last 15 years, including "New Urban Housing Project" and "US-Japan Cooperative Earthquake Research Program", in addition to the work done by individual universities and industries, which has been presented at the annual meeting of Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ). This paper introduces the merits, design provisions and recent construction trends of CFT column systems in Japan, and discusses the results of trial designs of CFT theme structures which have been carried out to look for the advantages in the performance and construction cost compared with other constructional system.