5. Becoming the world’s city of choice

The global competition among cities continues to escalate. Vice Governor Miyasaka recently went on a study trip to Dubai, UAE. This city draws ambitious challengers from around the world with its innovative environment that looks like a scene from a science fiction movie. Unless we dive into this swirl of global dynamism, before we know it, we will find ourselves left far behind. Under this strong sense of crisis, we will learn from our competitors abroad and, while engaging in friendly rivalry, transform Tokyo into a city that is the world’s city of choice.

Attractive urban development for a city that constantly generates new value

We will continue to upgrade Tokyo to become an attractive city that constantly generates new value. The Tokyo Bay eSG Project, which will lead to the birth to a cutting-edge model for cities, will take a new step forward this summer. We will open up the vast Central Breakwater area as a field to implement the latest technologies that will help find solutions to various urban issues. In addition, in Nishi-shinjuku, which was one of the first places for us to build a 5G environment, a consortium will be established to encourage collaboration among diverse stakeholders. On this foundation, we will build an attractive ecosystem that will continuously produce highly convenient services.

Through the efforts of the famed Shibusawa Eiichi and other prominent individuals, Meiji Jingu Gaien Garden was built from donations of funds and trees from the public. So that the thoughts that went into its construction will be carried on to the future, its redevelopment must be one that revitalizes it as a garden open to the public. To that end, we have requested the developers to look into involving a broad range of Tokyo citizens in the planning. We will have this area become an exciting, rich green community where many Tokyo residents can enjoy sports.

Enhancing the attraction of Tokyo and communicating this the world

In Shibuya, a town that is always creating new culture, we will develop a center for creative activities in art and design that integrate digital technology. By stimulating creativity through the power of digital technology, such as making it a place where children come in contact with cutting-edge art and that cultivates the next generation of artists who will captivate the world, we will create new value in Tokyo.

Next month, we will also begin accepting competition applications from students aspiring to become fashion designers. By providing assistance for business development as well, we will support young talent in going out onto the world stage, and let the rest of Japan and the world learn about the sensibilities that were honed in Tokyo.

We want the world to savor the skills and flavors of Tokyo’s proud culinary scene. Last month, we held the spring food festival, Tokyo Tokyo Delicious Museum, where many people enjoyed a wide variety of dishes. This fall, we are planning to hold the Taste of Tokyo festival, which will feature an abundance of seasonal ingredients, to broadly publicize the diverse attractions of Tokyo’s food culture.

In addition, holding live events and enjoying interactions in virtual space has lately been spreading, especially among the younger generations. Based on such current trends, we will use digital space to communicate the attractiveness of Tokyo and increase fans of Tokyo, both in Japan and abroad.

For a city where sports is a part of daily life

The Tokyo 2020 Games delivered courage and inspiration to the world. At the recent IOC Session, where the final report on the Games was presented, the Tokyo Games were highly praised for many aspects as representing a coming together of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, and being the best prepared Games in history. At the one-year milestone of that passionate summer, we will recall the memories of the Games and convey our gratitude to the people of Tokyo and the nation. We have designated this July through October as the period commemorating the first anniversary of the Games. Starting with a ceremony at the National Stadium, we will hold various events, including a para-sports exhibition and the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon. Digital technology and other methods to make sports accessible to everyone will be utilized so that people with disabilities and those who have difficulty coming to the venue can also enjoy the events.

Regarding the new center for new Olympic sports, the Ariake Urban Sports Park (tentative name), policy will be formulated this month for project implementation and it will be developed by fully using the vitality of the private sector. In November, a cycling event will be held across the Rainbow Bridge, and plans will also be made to hold a similar event in the Tama area, which was the venue for the road race at the Games. In this way, we will ensure that the legacy is carried on to the future and realize "Sports Field Tokyo," where sports are a part of daily life.

Now, regarding the World Athletics and Deaflympics, which are scheduled to be held in 2025. Tokyo recently received a visit from the World Athletics Evaluation Panel, which looks into venues for the World Athletics Championships, and we were able to directly promote Tokyo's ability to host the championships and our city’s attractions. As for the Deaflympics, we sent our staff to Brazil last month to conduct an in-depth study on its operations. Both of these events are very large-scale international competitions that will have a large number of athletes coming to Japan. If these events are held in Tokyo, the full support of the national government and the combined strengths of a broad range of stakeholders would be essential. In close cooperation with the national government and parties involved, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will also provide its active support to the organizations bidding for the respective events.

Boosting diversity

We will also steadily promote initiatives to realize the Tokyo 2020 Games vision of “Unity in Diversity,” and lead the city to further maturity.

At this assembly, we have proposed an amendment to the so-called Ordinance for Respecting Human Rights to establish the “Partnership Oath System," which will also be symbolic of realizing an inclusive society. Not only will we be the first prefecture to give it effectivity through the basis of an ordinance, but through collaboration with municipalities and the private sector as well, we will develop detailed services that embrace the feelings of the parties concerned. We will start by making provisions that enable sexual minorities who have made this oath to newly move into metropolitan housing, and will gradually expand this to other operations as well.

Furthermore, in order to promote the participation of women in the decision-making process to reflect a diversity of opinions in policies, a quota system will also be introduced in the councils and other advisory groups of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. A bill to amend the ordinance for this purpose has also been submitted to this regular assembly.

Culture and the arts are also important channels for expanding the circle of diversity. For 10 days from the 28th of this month, we will hold Asia's first comprehensive international conference for the realization of an inclusive society. The world will be united through the power of culture and the arts, which embrace all differences, including age, gender, and the presence or absence of disabilities, and we will evolve into a city where diversity and inclusion are firmly established.