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In opening the fourth regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in 2014, I wish to relate my basic stance on future metropolitan administration, and seek the understanding and cooperation of the members of this Assembly and the people of Tokyo.

Honorary Citizen, Mr. Kogetsu Nishiyama, passed away on November 3, and Honorary Citizen, Mr. Gennosuke Matsumoto, passed away on November 11. I would like to express my sincerest condolences to their families. May they rest in peace.

1. Foreword

Role of the capital

Prime Minister Abe has just dissolved the lower house to seek a fresh mandate for his policies. Regardless of this situation, as the leader of Japan's capital, I will stand firm to steadily advance the affairs of the metropolitan government. And to ensure that the resurfacing of the Japanese economy remains steady, my position is to quickly implement policies that grasp the true essence of the existing issues, and if necessary, to not hold back from making strong arguments to the national government. I will work closely with you, the members of this Assembly, to solidly carry out our responsibilities to the people of Tokyo and Japan. Tokyo will strongly lead Japan to the future by taking on what will, at times, be bold challenges, and by creating precedents.

Opposing the irrational national measures on local corporate taxes

First, I wish to speak about the central government's irrational measures concerning local corporate taxes. The provisional measure for corporate enterprise tax and the turning of a portion of the corporate inhabitant tax into a national tax go against the benefit-and-burden principle of local taxation and run counter to decentralization. Such unreasonable measures to adjust uneven distribution of tax revenue should be repealed immediately for resurrection of the corporate taxes as local taxes. In addition, it would be imperative that the lowering of the effective corporate tax rate does not impact local revenues.

As the chair of the Kanto Region Governors Association, I thus went to see the Chief Cabinet Secretary to request removal of these irrational measures, and also made the same request along with Aichi, Kanagawa, Osaka prefectures and Nagoya city, to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.We also had the TokyoMetropolitan Assembly present its opinion paper on the lowering of the effective corporate tax rate and the measures to adjust uneven distribution of tax revenues. In solidarity with the members of the Metropolitan Assembly, National Diet members from Tokyo, the Association of the 23-Special Ward Mayors, the Tokyo Association of Mayors, the Tokyo Town & Village Association, and other local governments holding the same aspirations, I shall dedicate my efforts to achieve these goals. I will be very grateful for your support.

Let me say a few words about criticism that there is an overconcentration of functions and activities in Tokyo. This is essentially an issue for which a solution must be found by reconsidering the form of governance in Japan; in other words, how to change the centralized system of government that has existed since the Meiji era. First of all, the prosperity of rural areas and the development of metropolises are not mutually exclusive. To contort this issue into a schema of "metropolis" versus "rural areas" and strip away the dynamism of metropolises that lead the nation's economic growth would simply be a foolish choice—one that takes the path to our nation's decline. Tokyo and the rural regions of Japan should not compete in a zero-sum game, but work for a "plus-sum," where we build win-win relations. I wish to continue to dedicate my efforts to establishing such relations.

Formulation of the supplementary budget

At this assembly session, we are proposing a supplementary budget. Incorporating proposals by the members of the assembly, we have appropriated a budget that will contribute to the early realization of "Tokyo, the world's best city." It includes funds for preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, realization of a hydrogen society, implementation of welfare policies for which pressing needs exist among the Tokyo residents, and securing citizen safety through disaster mitigation measures and measures for kiken drugs (literally "dangerous drug": intoxicating drugs that do not fall under conventional illegal drugs).

This supplementary budget is positioned as the budget for the starting dash toward 2020 and the bright future beyond. And in the budget for the next fiscal year, we will shift into top gear, and by having the effects of our policies ripple throughout Japan, I plan to have this lead to the development of the whole nation.