3. Development of the Tama area and Tokyo islands

Development of the Tama area

Continuing, I would like to speak about the development of the Tama area and Tokyo islands.

Through this election campaign, I was reminded of just how large Tokyo actually is. Development of the Tama area, a region blessed with rich nature, covering an area larger than that occupied by Tokyo’s 23 special wards, is indispensable in elevating Tokyo to the position of the world’s best city.

Therefore, I appointed Vice Governor Akiyama to be in charge of affairs related to the Tama area and Tokyo islands immediately after taking office. I then promptly gave the vice governor instructions to assist outlying communities cut off by the recent record-breaking snowfall.

I hope to tour Tama with the vice governor in the near future. In this area, there are facilities offering services that include health care, elderly care, and child care, small and medium-sized enterprises, urban agriculture, as well as numerous universities. There are important issues to be considered such as how to revitalize the aging Tama New Town communities and improve the transportation system. We will closely examine each area, listen directly to the voices of the people who live there, and provide precisely crafted responses to the problems affecting the region. At the same time, we will do our utmost to support the development of Tama, using a wider bird’s-eye perspective that takes in the whole of Tokyo, and, moreover, the whole of Japan.

I would also like to use the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games as an opportunity for people from around the world to visit Tama. We will welcome visitors with an environment lush with greenery and the finest in warm hospitality. For example, we can invite teams representing the countries of the world to hold their pre-Olympics camp in the area, and if new exchanges between those countries and the people of the Tama region are born, I think that would be truly wonderful. The TMG will strongly back the initiatives of the municipalities, and promote the attractions of Tama to the world.

Post-typhoon recovery on Oshima Island and development of the Tokyo islands

I will now speak about recovery and reconstruction efforts on Oshima Island, which suffered serious damage in October of last year as a result of Typhoon Wipha.

Last month, I traveled to the island of Oshima to confirm the devastation firsthand. During the visit, I extended my heartfelt sympathy to those who suffered losses, and my determination for a rapid recovery was strengthened by the sight of the island, where the scars left by the typhoon are still fresh. Within the fiscal 2013 supplementary budget and fiscal 2014 budget that we are proposing for approval, a combined total of 14.9 billion yen has been allocated to fully support Oshima’s recovery, including restoration of the infrastructure and revitalization of industries on the island. Specifically, to support tourism on the island, we will work seamlessly to develop tourism campaigns and extend discounted fares to travelers to the island during the Tsubaki (Camellia) Festival, which is held at this time of year.

There are times when the Tokyo islands, not only Oshima, which are located within the Pacific Ring of Fire, are directly confronted by the harshness of nature. In the past, there were cases like that of the island of Aogashima, where residents were able to return after being forced to flee for a period of about 50 years due to a major volcanic eruption. The residents of the islands have fostered their own culture while confronting such harsh realities of nature. We will devote efforts to the further development and implementation of disaster preparedness measures in order to protect the islands, which are inseparable from the natural environment. While confirming this sometimes harsh, yet beautiful natural environment with my own eyes, I would like to shape measures to develop Tokyo’s islands.

“Without a robust Tama area and Tokyo islands, there will be no progress for Tokyo!” It is with this resolve that we will also work with the municipalities to tackle issues.