5. Developing as a global city to revitalize Japan

Last year, the Financial Times Group released the results of its survey on prospects for investment in Asian Pacific cities. Tokyo came in second, behind Singapore. But Tokyo topped the ranking for megacities with a population of 10 million or more, demonstrating that the reputation of our city is increasing significantly. We will make Tokyo a more vibrant global business city to regain our position as the center of business in Asia.

Building infrastructure to develop urban functions

We will promote urban renovation projects throughout central Tokyo, including the districts of Shinagawa/Tamachi, Shibuya, Takeshiba, and Kita-aoyama. Tokyo will become a more comfortable place for people from other countries to stay, with more serviced apartments and other features. In addressing the issue of vacant housing, we will take measures to effectively use such properties as resources to enhance urban functions and community activities, by such means as supporting efforts to transform them into places where local residents can gather for community mixers or hold meetings.

Better transportation operations are also indispensable for enhancing the global competitiveness of Tokyo. As for Haneda Airport, the central government plans to present its policy on revising airplane flight paths by summer. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will actively provide cooperation to deepen local understanding and smoothly advance talks. A project to utilize land adjacent to Haneda, which was formerly used by the airport, has been approved under the National Strategic Special Zones scheme. We will employ special provisions to the City Planning Act to encourage the formation of a facility for business exchange that could lead to innovation, as well as a center for conveying the charms of Japan.

A traffic jam is nothing but a loss of time and money. Regarding the Tokyo Outer Ring Road (Gaikan), we will strongly urge the central government to have the section between the Kan-etsu Expressway and Tomei Expressway open by the Tokyo 2020 Games, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will proceed with matters such as land acquisition as well. As for the remaining section between the Tomei Expressway and Wangan Roadway, the central government launched a council last week to study the formulation of a construction plan. We will work together with the central government and relevant agencies for the implementation of the project. Next month, we will draw up the “Development Policy for City-Planned Roads in Tokyo.” We will steadily proceed with the construction and improvement of key arterial roads and roads that connect Tokyo with neighboring prefectures, to form a road network that will enhance the functionality of Tokyo as a whole.

Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises

This period before the 2020 Games is a perfect time for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in not just Tokyo, but all over Japan, to take advantage of a number of business opportunities. Recently, we held a kickoff forum for the “Taking SMEs to the World Project” with the attendance of officials from the central government, business associations, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. User pre-registration of Business Chance Navi 2020, a new website that provides information on contracting opportunities, has started. This website will begin operations in April.

Tokyo is home to many small and medium-sized manufacturers with advanced technologies, as well as large numbers of medical universities, hospitals, and companies manufacturing and marketing medical devices. We will leverage the potential of these resources and promote joint development of medical devices, an area where growth is expected globally. Next fiscal year we will establish a center in the Nihombashi district to support medical industry and academia collaboration. By providing opportunities for businesses to meet prospective partners and exchange information, and giving support for the development of prototypes, we hope this will lead to innovative achievements.

We will also support bold new business ventures. To encourage prospective entrepreneurs to take action, we will open a support center that can easily be used by anyone interested. The Tokyo Metropolitan Small and Medium Enterprise Support Center will join hands with a private-sector company with a track record of supporting business startups, and provide assistance at all stages, from conceiving an idea to actually starting a business.

To help SMEs expand into global markets, we will, in cooperation with business associations, publicize their outstanding technologies in overseas cities where they hope to make inroads, so that those companies can expand their business abroad. We will raise the global competitiveness of Tokyo and help revitalize the Japanese economy.

Advancing environmental policy

At COP 21, which was held at the end of last year, the Paris Agreement, a new framework applicable to all Parties, was adopted. It could be said that the initiatives taken by the leading cities of a country will determine whether that country can achieve its goals. As one of the world’s largest cities, and the capital of Japan, it is Tokyo’s duty to build a smart energy city. In order to clarify this determination of Tokyo, we will announce a new Tokyo Environmental Master Plan within this fiscal year. Although we currently have a high target of making renewable sources of energy account for about 20 percent of total electricity consumption by 2024, we wish to set a new, even more ambitious target for the years following that. In addition, we applied for the project to redevelop the former site of JR Shinagawa Depot Railway Yard to be included in the Climate Positive Development Program of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and it was recently accepted.

We will also advance initiatives to realize a hydrogen society. A hands-on event was held at Miraikan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) the other day, welcoming the participation of many people, including families. This was especially well received by children, who exclaimed, “So this is how hydrogen is made,” and “This is how we create energy,” while pedaling on a bike. I assume that you all saw this on television. We want our citizens to participate in such events. And they will realize a hydrogen society. We hope to actively present such opportunities for our residents to gain a proper understanding of hydrogen energy and its enormous potential. “A picture is worth a thousand words.” As I just mentioned, we will strive for hands-on education to popularize the use of hydrogen energy, such as holding test rides on fuel cell vehicles.

In this regular session, we are presenting a bill for an ordinance that will restructure the Green Tokyo Fund. We will add the perspective of decorating the city with flowers, and make this a “Tokyo Fund for Flowers and Greenery.” We will turn Tokyo into a city full of flowers and greenery, and this will also be a part of our buildup of “omotenashi” (hospitality) for the 2020 Games. When you go to cities overseas, there are places that greet you with lovely windows decorated with flowers. This is a wonderful sight to behold. In Tokyo we also have a tradition dating back to the Edo period of decorating morning glories. I hope we will all work together to make Tokyo a city of flowers.

Making tourism a major industry

From such a perspective as well, we will develop tourism into a major industry, and by making the most of the industry’s broad scope of supporting industries, we will link this to the further growth of Tokyo.

We will roll out publicity on the “& TOKYO” logo, a public-private initiative, and spread the concept of the Tokyo brand both domestically and internationally. I’m wearing the “& TOKYO” badge today. We will work to upgrade the environment for visitors, such as promoting the installation of western toilets and multilingual guidance at lodgings. And, as you know, initiatives for renting out private lodgings to visitors have been launched in Ota Ward by using the deregulations of the National Strategic Special Zone. We also wish to significantly increase the number of eco-friendly universal design taxis and sightseeing buses with wheelchair lifts. Moreover, following the sightseeing route linking Tokyo and the Tohoku region, we will newly develop routes to the Chugoku and Shikoku regions. In this way, Tokyo will promote the attractions of Japan, and serve as the bridge between foreign tourists and sites throughout Japan.

London, New York, Paris... What does Tokyo lack and where is it outshone by these world cities? The answer is the city lights at night. The sight of a megalopolis beautifully lit up at night has the power to draw many foreign visitors. As a new tourism resource, we will focus on “light,” and advance studies on how to strategically light up the city to enhance its attractiveness. Huge crowds converge on Tokyo station when it is lit up. This is the draw of light.

Next, are boats. We will actively employ boat transportation as a convenient means of daily transportation and also grow it into a tourism resource that will be attractive to all who visit Tokyo. A social experiment will be conducted for a regular route linking Haneda to the waterfront area and central Tokyo, and we will develop Hinode and Takeshiba piers and integrate the vitality of the surrounding areas to turn them into hubs for water transportation. In Ryogoku, additional boat landings will be constructed and the Ryogoku River Center, which will also be a center for tourism, will be built. We will look into measures to enhance convenience such as the use of a transportation smart card and improving guidance signs from the railway stations. We will also steadily advance the construction of a new cruise ship terminal in the waterfront area, and have this lead to attracting more visitors.

To ensure quick response to changes in tourism circumstances, we are working on the formulation of the “Action Program for Promotion of the Tourism Industry” (temporary name). The first meeting was held the other day. Highly beneficial opinions from various perspectives were received from experts in a broad range of fields. We plan to announce the direction of our initiatives by May.

Policy implementation by public enterprises

Regarding the public enterprises of transportation, waterworks, and sewerage, we will leverage their excellent technologies to implement new services that meet the needs of society.

The Bureau of Waterworks will take thorough measures for risk management, such as covering sedimentation basins and all other basins of water purification facilities. Along with such measures, research on the use of hydrogen generated at the purification plants will also be conducted for further advancement of our world-class system. In the Bureau of Sewerage, technology that allows sewage pipes to be reinforced from the inside without digging up the roads, will be employed to advance the reconstruction of old pipes, and improvement of flood control and combined sewers will also be steadily advanced. The Bureau of Transportation will support the growth of Tokyo by also engaging in projects that are tied with the development of the surrounding community, such as boosting transportation capacity of the Oedo line to meet the needs of increasing number of users, and implementing the large-scale improvement of Kachidoki and Sengakuji stations.

Opening of the Toyosu Market

The Toyosu Market will finally open on November 7 this year. A proposed ordinance related to this has been submitted to this regular session. In order to complete the relocation operations within the limited period of four days and be firmly posed to welcome opening day, the draft budget includes additional support to lighten the burdens on the businesses.

Through smooth and solid relocation to Toyosu, and full utilization of state-of-the-art facilities, we will firmly uphold food safety. And, we will, along with the people of the market, develop Toyosu into Tokyo’s new brand that carries on the reputation of Tsukiji.