4. Realizing the best Olympic and Paralympic Games ever

5 years to go to 2020

Devoting all efforts to preparations

We now have only five years until 2020. The Games Foundation Plan will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) shortly. Work on preparations will begin in earnest at last. The Legacy Committee, which comes under my immediate supervision, will firmly manage the progress of preparations, and will put forth its utmost efforts. Concerning the new permanent facilities to be constructed by the metropolitan government, in addition to the three facilities that have already entered the basic design phase this fiscal year, including Ariake Arena, the remaining three facilities will enter the basic design phase next fiscal year in accordance with the conclusions reached in the venue plan review. We will continue to eliminate wasteful spending and work to reduce construction costs. At the same time, the venue facilities will be new assets for the people of Tokyo as post-Games legacies. We will thus fully consider post-Games use of facilities and proceed with their development by incorporating the knowledge of the private sector as well, to ensure that the facilities become a part of the lives of Tokyo residents.

Other issues that are just as important as the aforementioned security measures, are the transportation of spectators, relevant parties, and others during the Games, and traffic congestion during venue and infrastructure construction. With regard to such challenges as well, we will thoroughly consider their impacts on the lives of Tokyo citizens, and undertake early preparations to address them.

In areas around the competition venues and in major sightseeing areas, we are also advancing the development of safe bike routes. We will speed up this initiative by drawing up a plan in April in collaboration with the central government, municipalities, and others, and will steadily expand the areas falling under the plan to cover all of Tokyo. Additionally, with respect to bike sharing, it has been decided that the TMG and the four wards of Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, and Koto, will sign a basic agreement aiming to boost regional bike sharing. We will continue to strongly back the efforts of municipalities to spread such programs.

Furthermore, I wish to support the activities taken on by municipalities to bid for pre-Games camps and their initiatives to build momentum for the 2020 Games, in order to ensure that these efforts translate into post-Games legacies such as the promotion of sports in the community and international exchange.

Placing extra emphasis on the Paralympic Games and culture

Yesterday, Lord Paul Deighton, the former CEO of the London 2012 Organising Committee, visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It was the first time for me to see him since our meeting in London at the end of October. Lord Deighton said that one of the most important legacies of the London Games was the success of the Paralympic Games.

Indeed, at the London Paralympic Games the entire nation came together to enliven the Games, making them a resounding success. We are going to do all in our power to make the 2020 Paralympic Games a magnificent event that surpasses that of London 2012.

We are already preparing to renovate the Tokyo Metropolitan Sports Center for the Disabled in the ward area, and in the next fiscal year, we will also begin preparations to renovate the Tama Sports Center for the Disabled, with the goal of completion in fiscal 2019. By focusing on raising public awareness of the Paralympic Games and creating a barrier-free mindset through programs such as those providing people with the opportunity to experience disabled sports, I hope to build a "Let's make the Paralympic Games a success" spirit among the people. We will also strengthen the organization by newly establishing the Paralympic Games preparation and disabled sports sections within the Bureau of Olympic and Paralympic Games Preparation.

We will make the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games the best ever in terms of culture as well. We have drafted a new cultural vision for Tokyo, which will serve as the basic policy for the promotion of culture and the arts in Tokyo and a guide for the Olympic cultural program. We will implement a diversity of unprecedented programs including a world-class urban festival of the arts, tentatively called the Tokyo Arts Festival, art programs or the disabled, and opportunities for foreign nationals and children to experience traditional culture. In addition, we will enhance the attractive qualities of cultural hubs such as Ueno, Ikebukuro, and Roppongi, and ensure that culture and the arts are positioned as pillars supporting the growth and development of the city. Following discussions with the members of this Assembly, we will compile the final version within this fiscal year, and promote this vision—our urban strategy for culture and the arts to the world.

Evolution into the global city of Tokyo

At the end of last year, we formulated the TMG's Basic Strategy for City Diplomacy, which outlines Tokyo's basic stance on city diplomacy and sets policy direction. In order to solve the issues Tokyo faces as a major urban center and enable residents to live enriched lives, we must incorporate the knowledge of overseas cities that face the same issues through cooperation and exchanges. Furthermore, to make the 2020 Games a success, we must deepen friendly ties with cities overseas and also build new relationships. On the 3rd of this month, I met with Park Won-Soon, the Mayor of Seoul, when he visited Tokyo, and we issued a joint communique on strengthening the relationship between the two cities. I hope to accelerate working level exchange without delay through technical cooperation on road cave-ins. In addition, last month, we held an event to deepen friendship and exchange views with around 100 ambassadors and representatives of countries and regions around the world in attendance. The event held at the Edo-Tokyo Museum gave the participants the opportunity to experience Edo culture. We will strengthen connections with the world and make Tokyo into a more global city.

Enhancing the attractiveness of the waterfront

For the achievement of this objective as well, I would like to promote the attractiveness of Tokyo to the world, and discover new charms. Unfortunately, the splendor of Tokyo's waterfront is relatively unknown abroad. Many of the venues for the 2020 Games will be constructed in the waterfront area. In the coming fiscal year, we will begin by carrying out a study on the establishment of a water route that starts and finishes at Haneda Airport, and I hope to have this followed by studies of other various possible routes. In addition, as the current SHIN TOKYO MARU inspection ship has aged considerably, we will begin construction of a new inspection ship.

At the Hama-Rikyu Gardens, I hope to restore the Enryokan, Japan's first modern guest house for foreign dignitaries. The facility will not be used only for the purpose of treating guests to Japanese hospitality. We will also plan ways for the people who visit to experience Tokyo's history through exhibits showcasing the history of Enryokan and important documents from that age.

Development of tourism policies

Last year, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan topped the 13 million mark, setting an all-time record. Tokyo has raised the ambitious goal of welcoming 18 million foreign tourists annually to the city by the year 2024. To achieve this, we will use the opportunity presented by the 2020 Games to establish the "Tokyo brand," which will strongly promote the attractions of Tokyo. We will formulate our branding strategy by the end of this fiscal year, and work to create a logo and slogan in the next fiscal year. While also making full use of the media, we will strongly convey our message to the world. In the coming fiscal year, we will launch a new volunteer guide program starting in Shinjuku and Ueno. These volunteer guides will approach and offer assistance to tourists from abroad in foreign languages. Additionally, while utilizing a newly established fund and working with the municipalities and private business operators as well, we will develop an infrastructure across all of Tokyo to support foreign tourists as they move about and stay in our city, including multilingual assistance and free WiFi. We will also work to further promote tourism throughout Japan by developing regional sightseeing routes, holding events that feature local specialties from across the country, and other efforts.

Measures to prevent passive smoking

With respect to measures to prevent passive smoking, starting the coming fiscal year, we will install smoking booths along Shintora-dori Avenue, and carry out surveys on the implementation and effectiveness of measures to prevent passive smoking at eating establishments. We will also implement a pilot project for separation of smoking and non-smoking areas so that foreign tourists will be able to comfortably use hotels and restaurants. Measures will be steadily advanced upon consideration of the various views of people in different positions.