In opening the first regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in 2015, 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.

1.My vision for the world's best city

A peaceful society that upholds basic human rights

First, let me speak about the recent killings of Japanese hostages in the Middle East. I wish to express my deep sorrow over the deaths of the two hostages, Mr. Haruna Yukawa and Mr. Kenji Goto, and extend my heartfelt condolences to their families. It angers me. Acts of terrorism can never be allowed. At the same time, as the leader of the metropolitan government, this situation has strengthened my resolve to do everything in my power to bolster Tokyo's defenses against terrorism in order to protect the lives and properties of the citizens of Tokyo, and in our preparations for the 2020 Games.

With this year marking the passage of 70 years since the end of World War II, I have been reflecting on those 70 years of history in my own way, and thinking about the efforts made by those who came before us to create the peace and prosperity of Japan.

The world order created by the victors of World War II changed significantly with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The era of opposing ideologies ended, and with the collapse of the bipolar system with the United States and the Soviet Union, the birth of the European Union, and the rise of developing countries such as China, the world is now becoming multipolar. I believe that Japan, which recovered from its defeat in WWII and matured into an Asian economic power, has now entered the age where it should actively participate in building stable international order, through means such as the United Nations.

As international politics become increasingly complex, I believe that finding a way to ensure that the peace built by our forefathers is passed on to the next generations is a major responsibility of politicians today. In that sense as well, I am extremely concerned about the present situation in which the spirit of tolerance is waning and extreme nationalism and xenophobia are spreading. We must not forget the history of how Nazism and its exclusion of Jews was the prelude to a very tragic war. Therefore, I had, from early on, expressed my position that hate speech—derogatory attacks on people of certain ethnicities—is unacceptable. And, I spoke about this directly with Prime Minister Abe, as measures taken by Tokyo alone would have their limits. Now, a movement to view hate speech as a serious issue is spreading throughout society.

Tokyo bears a large responsibility as the host city for the Olympic and Paralympic Games—a festival of peace. We will continue to follow through with our position of maintaining a peaceful society that values basic human rights.

Pursuit of equal opportunity

A book titled Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Dr. Thomas Piketty of the Paris School of Economics, who recently visited Japan, has become a subject of global debate. There are arguments for and against his findings. When you think about the main themes of the book—capitalism and the problem of inequality—the question, "What is equality?" always arises.

My answer to that question is "equality of opportunity." If we promote "equality of results," this will result in moral hazard and the loss of dynamism, and we will not be able to expect society to develop. Excessive freedom, on the other hand, has the danger of significantly expanding the divide and preventing social mobility, thus shaking the foundations of "equal opportunity." This will result in growing frustrations and a waning of tolerance to others, creating rifts in society that will be difficult to repair.

A fair society that properly rewards hard work and toil

I believe that the principal function of politics and government is, while striking a balance between "freedom and equality," to create an environment where everyone can fully demonstrate their abilities and have a life that is active, fulfilling, and secure.

A society where people can strive for self-actualization while working and leading a stable life; a society where people can continue with their career even if life events such as child rearing and the need to care for an elderly family member occur along the way; a society where people will have access to a solid welfare and health care system when they have aged or become ill; and a society that will not allow contemptible crimes that destroy the lives of others. I want to build a fair society where those who work hard and live honest lives are always rewarded.

In order to raise the overall standard of living for residents of Tokyo and Japan and realize a more enriched way of life, we must create new wealth to support this. I will thus also work to aggressively mobilize the power of the metropolitan government for the execution of growth strategies and revitalization of the economy. We will fully draw out Tokyo's potential by enhancing international competitiveness through urban renewal and development of the infrastructure and by easing regulations when necessary.