U.S. – Japan Business Council (USJBC), Roundtable Tokyo: A Global Leader as an Advanced Smart City September 25, 2020

On September 25, 2020, Governor Koike delivered a speech entitled “Tokyo: A Global Leader as an Advanced Smart City” at a videoconference event hosted by U.S.-Japan Business Council (USJBC) at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  In the beginning of her speech, she talked about the U.S. Open tennis tournament, which inspired people during the pandemic. Then she mentioned the history of relations between Japan and U.S., specifically with the cities of New York and Los Angeles.
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, she offered condolences to the many victims in the US, and outlined the situations and the measures that have been taken by Japanese national government and TMG.

The topics included:

• Mask-wearing culture in Japan, which has been a common practice since the Spanish Flu epidemic
• The avoidance of the ‘3-Cs’ (Closed Spaces, Crowded Places, and Close Conversation).

In addition, she introduced an expression common in Japan, which is derived from Japanese martial arts, in relation to measures taken by TMG to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

心shin : “Mind or soul”

• The high level of consciousness for hygiene in Japan : It is not legally possible to take measures prohibiting people from going out even in the midst of the pandemic. However, we were successful in gaining their cooperation.

技Gi : “Skill or the ability to share information using technology”

• The importance of disseminating information: We launched the open site “Covid-19 Information Website” and live information “Covid-19 Monitoring Report” at an early stage to deliver the latest information.

体Tai : “Body or system”

• The rainbow sticker: TMG has been asking restaurants, bars, and stores to display the sticker to show that they are taking steps to prevent the spread of infections.
• AI-equipped robots being used to help care for patients with mild symptoms, staying in designated hotels to avoid direct contact with staff
• An app-based health monitoring system for people recovering at home
• Implementing a "sustainable recovery", considering “the new normal” with COVID-19

Moreover, she spoke about her efforts to make Tokyo a global financial hub, including:

• Fin.City Tokyo, Japan’s first financial promotion organization, as a public-private collaboration
• Tokyo Financial Awards to promote ESG investment
• Streamlining of taxation and regulatory practices in cooperation with the national government, and the establishment of programs to assist businesses setting up operations to Tokyo from overseas.

Regarding the Tokyo 2020 Games, she spoke about her intention to make the Games a symbol of hope and strengthened bonds for humanity. She concluded her speech by wishing to invite American companies to come and expand into Tokyo. Following her speech, there was a Q & A session with USJBC’s board members. They discussed digital technologies related to education, medical care, a cashless economy, and other such topics.