Policy Speech by the Governor of Tokyo, Koike Yuriko, at the Third Regular Session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, 2020

In the opening of the third regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in 2020, I wish to relate my basic stance on future metropolitan administration.

This is my first regular session of the Metropolitan Assembly and I am moving resolutely forward in my second term of office as governor, thanks to the support of the people of Tokyo. Although we are in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, I am firmly determined to work with you to boldly forge a path for Tokyo’s bright future. It is my wish to continue to hold discussions for the well-being of Tokyo and its citizens with the members of the Assembly. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

1. Response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

Achieving a balance between stopping the spread of infection and maintaining socioeconomic activities

I would like to first speak about our response to COVID-19.
Stopping the spread of infection and advancing social economic activities. Achieving a balance here is the major task we face in our long battle with the virus. As an initiative to address this task, we are thoroughly working to stop infection in shops and other facilities with the help of the people and businesses of Tokyo by using the rainbow COVID-19 safety sticker as a symbol of such efforts.

I recently took discretionary action to amend the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance on COVID-19 Measures to achieve this balance throughout Tokyo as soon as possible. I also took discretionary action for a supplementary budget to quickly provide funds to eateries that complied with our request to shorten their hours of operation.

I wish to express my appreciation to the people and businesses of Tokyo for their enormous cooperation during this period. Together with all of you, I wish to continue building Tokyo into a sustainable economic center that won’t lose to this “invisible enemy.”

Getting fully prepared for the flu season

We will take the lead in building up preparations for a crisis in the upcoming flu season. We are accelerating preparations to establish a permanent center for infectious disease response (Tokyo iCDC) to serve as a base for these measures.

The center will plan policies and conduct analyses of surveys and studies during non-emergency times with the cooperation of experts, the national government, universities and others. In times of emergency it will take responsibility for crisis management to secure the healthcare system, and comprehensively collect and distribute accurate information. A particular advantage will be its permanent expert board. In order to advance effective measures that make the most of their knowledge, next month we will launch this new base and promptly begin full operations while building up the system.

For the further enhancement of the healthcare delivery system, we will utilize the former Tokyo Metropolitan Fuchu Medical Center for the Disabled to open a dedicated COVID-19 healthcare facility, and we will also increase the number of reserved hospital beds to around 1,000 at metropolitan hospitals and hospitals operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Hospitals Corporation. We have received cooperation from Tokai University for operation of its affiliated Tokyo Hospital as an exclusive COVID-19 hospital. Through such initiatives, we are securing dedicated beds throughout Tokyo to speed up patient admittance and enhance treatment effectiveness.

Compiling a supplementary budget to further strengthen response

In addition, we have proposed a supplementary budget totaling 341.3 billion yen to this regular session to allow us to continue strengthening measures as we move from fall to winter. We aim to secure up to 4,000 beds through subsidies to medical institutions and further improve the testing system by supporting the introduction of equipment by private laboratories and other means. At the same time, from the perspective of “protecting the elderly,” we will promote new measures such as subsidizing the cost of PCR testing at facilities for the elderly and providing senior citizens with free influenza vaccinations.

In addition, we continue to support the financial needs of Tokyo residents and businesses by promoting special loans to support livelihoods and expanding lending under the government-backed loan system for SMEs. And to ensure a feeling of safety about economic activities, we have included measures to increase the effectiveness of initiatives against infection by business operators. To prepare for further measures in the future, we will take bold measures without delay to protect the lives, health, and socio-economic activities of our residents while continuing to maintain healthy finances through such measures as transferring financial surpluses to the fiscal adjustment fund.

Coordinate with the new cabinet to take a wide range of measures

Also at this regular session, I am proposing a draft ordinance to further amend the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance on COVID-19 Measures. The effectiveness of response will be further enhanced by clarifying the specific responsibilities of each of those involved, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s improvement of the testing and health care systems and the obligation of Tokyo residents and businesses to make efforts to prevent the spread of infection.

At present, we need to remain vigilant against a resurgence in the number of infections, there is also no change in the prolonged burden on medical institutions. We will continue to take a wide range of measures while also working closely with the new Cabinet. I would like to again express my gratitude to all the residents and businesses in Tokyo and to all the medical professionals for their ongoing efforts, and sincerely request the cooperation of each and every one of you to continue to help contain the spread of the disease.

2. Advancing forward to Grand Reform of Tokyo 2.0 to become a global destination

Looking at the latest GDP figures for each country, we see a substantial decline across the board. On an annualized basis, this was a reduction of more than 30% in the United States, nearly 60% in the United Kingdom, and 28.1% in Japan, the largest drop recorded since the end of WWII. The main factor is the cooling of consumer spending due to the spread of COVID-19 and the Japanese economy will not be able to escape from this critical situation unless we firmly establish a "new normal" that balances the prevention of the spread of infection with socio-economic activities. Furthermore, in the 2020 World Competitiveness Ranking published by a business school in Switzerland, IMD (International Institute for Management Development,) Japan has fallen to 34th place, further down the rankings from last year's lowest-ever 30th place. Japan used to boast the world's top spot in this ranking, however, it has been in the doldrums for nearly a quarter century since 1997 when its ranking dropped sharply.

Overcoming the economic stagnation caused by the spread of infection. And boosting competitiveness to be a global player. Now is the time to take action, or Japan will be left behind in the world, and the happiness of the people of Tokyo and the rest of Japan will not be realized. Japan has a high language barrier and is significantly lagging behind in digital transformation which creates new value through the power of digital technology. We need to urgently face up to this reality and take measures with a global perspective, and we cannot remain engaged in inward-looking discussions.

With this sense of urgency, we have launched the Grand Reform of Tokyo 2.0, under the slogan “Determine the future of Tokyo with the people of Tokyo,” as an initiative that Tokyo, the capital of Japan, should vigorously promote. To carve out a hopeful future together with the people of Tokyo in this uncertain era of living with the coronavirus, we must boldly roll out further reforms by going beyond convention. Protecting the invaluable lives of Tokyo citizens. Creating a Tokyo where everyone can shine vibrantly. And accelerating digital transformation immediately to become global destination. I am again very strongly determined to achieve these goals.

3. Realizing a Tokyo that protects the lives of its citizens and generates earnings

The first pillar of this new major reform is to realize a Tokyo that protects the lives of its citizens and generates earnings. Digital transformation, which is proceeding at an explosive speed, will lead Tokyo's economy to "new growth" and we will further enhance Tokyo's presence in the world by promoting the creation of an attractive and strong city that will lay the foundation for sustainable development.

New growth for Tokyo's economy through swift digitalization

Project leading in the establishment of Smart Tokyo

The realization of a Smart Tokyo that utilizes the power of digital technology to improve the lives of Tokyo residents and revitalize the economy is essential for the "new growth" of Tokyo’s economy. As a project taking the first step toward this, we are conducting the trial operation of smart poles here in Nishi-Shinjuku. We aim to widely spread this new infrastructure, which will lead to an improvement in the quality of life of Tokyo residents through communication functions such as 5G and high-speed Wi-Fi, as well as sensors to monitor real congestion and signage to display government service information.

And we are also making precedent efforts to construct a data infrastructure called the Urban Operating System (Urban OS) that will create new value by accumulating and utilizing various information generated in the city. At this time, we have begun supporting private sector projects to develop new services based on the Urban OS in the three districts of OMY (Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho), Takeshiba and Toyosu. Using these initiatives as models, we will accelerate the establishment of Smart Tokyo by gathering the power of the public and private sectors.

To be a world-leading financial center

To once again become Asia's top financial city. With strong determination to achieve this, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has taken a series of unprecedented steps, including the establishment of FinCity.Tokyo, Japan's first financial promotion organization, and a partnership with the City of London. The results of our efforts have had a definite impact: in the latest Global Financial Centres Index (27th edition), we ranked first in Asia and third in the world after New York and London.

Amidst the unstable global situation, we want Tokyo, which draws people, goods, money and information from around the world and also offers a good living environment and public safety, to continue to be chosen by the world as a stable global financial center. The next six months to a year are extremely important for this, and we must move forward with speedy measures, bearing in mind that competition with other Asian cities will become increasingly intense. At this time, in addition to launching Team Invest Tokyo to accelerate the attraction of foreign businesses by industry, academia and government, I would like to further solidify our position as a world-leading international financial city in cooperation with the central government as well.

Aiming to become a world-renowned startup city

America’s IT giants, whose global services are transforming people's lives, were once small companies started by young entrepreneurs. Fostering startups that are quick to grasp the latest needs and create a steady stream of new products and services is essential for Tokyo's further growth. Tokyo recently appeared for the first time in a ranking of cities for its startup growth environment, placing 15th overall and third in Asia, behind Beijing and Shanghai. In addition, the Tokyo Startup Ecosystem Consortium, which aims to create innovation through collaboration that makes the best of Tokyo's urban concentration, has just been selected by the Japanese government as a Global Startup City. With these developments pushing us forward, we will continue to roll out a variety of measures aimed at making Tokyo a world-leading city for startups and vigorously promote new businesses born in Tokyo.

For the promotion of the Tokyo Telework Rules

Telework, which enables flexible work styles and is effective not only in increasing productivity but also as a countermeasure for infectious diseases, will be the driving force behind Tokyo's sustainable growth. Recently, I met with the heads of business and labor organizations and we issued a joint declaration to work together on the promotion of the Tokyo Telework Rules to further establish the practice of telework. Based on these rules, we will work together to have remote work positioned as a management strategy in companies and other organizations and for the implementation of effective and concrete measures.

Building a city that is both attractive and strong

Protecting the lives of Tokyo residents from disasters

The first step toward creation of an attractive and strong city, which will be the foundation for sustainable development, is to realize a city that is resilient to disasters. It has been about a year since a series of typhoons brought record rainfall and windstorms across Japan and left deep scars even in Tokyo. Recently, Typhoon Haishen caused damage in the Kyushu region and many other parts of Japan. Again, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families who had lost their loved ones and my heartfelt sympathies to all those who were affected by this disaster.

To bolster Tokyo’s preparedness against wind and flood damage, we have been taking a wide range of measures, including installing more river-level monitoring cameras, upgrading facilities such as sluice gates, securing emergency power systems, enhancing emergency stockpiles, and advancing the removal of utility poles on the Tokyo islands and elsewhere.

For the solid implementation of lifesaving evacuation, we have been rolling out detailed measures that support the municipalities, such as issuing accurate disaster information, and securing additional evacuation sites, improving living conditions and strengthening infection prevention measures at the evacuation centers, which also take into account the perspective of preventing a complex disaster with the novel coronavirus. These measures will also be reflected in the storm and flood damage edition of the local disaster management plan when it is revised.

Furthermore, to powerfully advance the development of disaster-resilient communities, we set up a liaison council with the government ministries to discuss concrete measures. The council recently released an interim report that includes detailed measures for earthquakes in districts with close-set wooden houses, such as the promotion of reconstruction for fireproofing by resolving issues facing sites with no road access, as well as storm and flood measures, such as creating higher ground and securing evacuation space in the upper floors of buildings.

In such ceaseless efforts to strengthen our defense against disasters through both tangible and intangible approaches, digital technologies will also come to play a major role. We will revise the Tokyo Disaster Management Plan before the end of this fiscal year from new points of view, such as further evolution of disaster response through the use of cutting-edge technologies, and steadily advance initiatives that will protect the lives of our residents from disasters.

Develop the Tsukiji district to enhance Tokyo’s value

With regard to the plan to develop the Tsukiji district to create fresh appeal for Tokyo, in view of the changing circumstances due to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games, we had been thinking about revising the implementation policy for the project to generate dynamism in the area prior to its full-scale development. Because the situation renders it difficult to embark on this project, we have now decided to implement it by integrally recruiting developers in fiscal 2022 who will be responsible for the early-stage and the following full-scale development, in order to draw out more out-of-the-box ideas from the private sector to effectively develop the area. By taking full advantage of the power of the private sector, we will advance urban development that both enhances Tokyo’s value and leads to its sustainable development.

4. A Tokyo where people shine

Tokyo can only shine when the people who bring vigor to the city do. With this conviction, ever since assuming the governorship, I have been consistently rolling out measures that focus on people. My stance on this will not change in the future. I have made “Tokyo where people shine” the second pillar of the new Grand Reform of Tokyo. Through implementation of detailed measures, we will build a vibrant city where every resident can fully realize his or her potentials and lead active and dynamic lives.

A Tokyo where anyone can balance parenting and work

The issue of children on the waiting lists for daycare, which we have been addressing as one of our top priorities to achieve this vision, has been making steady progress. The number of waitlisted children in Tokyo as of April 1 this year has dropped to 2,343, the first time for this figure to be in the 2,000 range in the past three decades. Last year, 259 licensed daycare facilities were established with a total capacity of about 18,000 children. The number of Tokyo municipalities that have achieved zero waitlisted children is rising. We will continue to implement further countermeasures in cooperation with the municipalities, such as expanding the acceptance of one-year-olds who comprise roughly 60 percent of the waitlisted children, to realize a Tokyo where both men and women can shine at both parenting and work.

For children’s development and growth

Study of a new Tokyo Education Model

In the age of increasing uncertainties, children must learn to carve their own paths to the future. We need to enhance education that teaches them to become independent, nurtures self-direction and develops their problem-solving skills. It is against this background that a study on the new Tokyo Education Model has been launched. We will deepen discussion on the new education model at the Educational Affairs Council Meeting together with the Board of Education, with the aim to create a supportive community environment for children from the viewpoint of leaving no child behind, and realize high-quality education focused on each individual child. The outcome of the discussion will be reflected in our next Education Policy to be formulated by the end of this fiscal year.

Develop advanced language skills and cultivate a rich global mind in children

Japan’s international competitiveness is on the decline. The gap between our country and the rest of the world will only widen unless we succeed in cultivating a large number of global-minded individuals with high-level language skills and rich international perspectives. In 2022 the first public school in Japan seamlessly combining primary and secondary education will open in Tachikawa. The school will offer at least 1,000 hours more foreign language classes than normally given during the compulsory education period to help students acquire advanced language skills. We will maximize the merits of integrated 12-year education, including the implementation of a program in which all students enrolled in the school engage in research and volunteer activities overseas, in order to foster talent who will be active on the global stage and help support Tokyo as the world’s city of choice.

Enhance special needs education in the Tokyo islands

We are advancing studies on opening the first branch classroom of a high school for special needs education on Tokyo’s Islands in Hachijo-machi to boost motivation for learning in all children regardless of disabilities. The number of students enrolled in elementary and lower secondary school special needs classes in Hachijo-machi is on an upward trend. Against this backdrop, we will steadily advance the opening of the branch classroom, and ensure that it leads to enhancing learning for each and every child.

Establish an advisory board for the future of children

Centering on such initiatives for welfare and education, we will advance policies that put children first, while providing thorough support for child-rearing. In order to ensure that this leads to the creation of a “society where children are smiling and parents are enjoying raising children,” we will launch an advisory board for the future of children made up of experts next week. What should be done to create a society where cherishing children who will forge the future takes top priority, and children and parenting get support in all kinds of situations? We will have the board members discuss this question from broad points of view unconstrained by existing frameworks. We will ensure that we realize communities overflowing with hope for the future where children’s smiles are blooming everywhere.

Promote the establishment of social firms

Social firms offer a place for those disadvantaged in the job market to work and play an active part in society. Starting early next month, we will call for business operators who seek certification as social firms under the criteria of the recently formulated guidelines. We will widely inform businesses of the support they can receive if they are certified as social firms, and steadily work for the establishment of TMG-certified social firms within this fiscal year.

Enhance life in communities and develop lively and active communities

Connections between people are what enhance urban vitality. Based on such a conviction, we placed “community” as one of the cores of the strategic vision for Tokyo’s future. Next month, the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation “TSUNAGARI,” a new TMG policy collaboration organization, will be established. We will sequentially implement projects aimed at revitalization of local communities such as creating a multicultural and inclusive society where foreign residents can live with peace of mind and establishing a society where people are connected and help each other.

To build local communities that are lively and active, we must also develop good dwelling environments. Amid huge changes in the housing situation, our housing policies will be strategically upgraded, and at the end of the next fiscal year, a new Master Plan for Housing will be drawn up based on the report by the Council on Housing Policy. We will roll out housing policies that befit our vision of Tokyo as the city where people shine.

Moreover, in order to ensure safe and secure living in the community, it is also important to enhance local healthcare services. The facilities of the Tama-Hokubu Medical Center, which plays a major role here, are aging. We will begin studies on its reconstruction so that it can continue to provide stable medical care that befits the changing environment surrounding local health care.

5. Future policy development

Tackling structural challenges

“The Tokyo government will change for the changing Tokyo.” In order to transform Tokyo into the world’s destination of choice, we must powerfully advance structural reform by delving deeply down to the foundation of systems. The third pillar of the new Grand Reform for Tokyo is administrative, fiscal, and structural reform from a “Tokyo citizens first” perspective. Our country is up against what could be called a national crisis, making it now the time for us to promote substantial reforms of our social systems. We recently initiated discussions with experts on social structural reform to achieve further growth in Tokyo and Japan with an eye to the post-coronavirus era. Such social structural reform includes acceleration of digital transformation and response to changes in industrial structure. We plan to summarize our views on structural reform by the end of next month.

We will also advance structural reform of the metropolitan administration in a bid to dramatically raise the quality of service for Tokyo citizens and turn the TMG into an organization offering value that goes beyond resident expectations. Such structural reform includes thorough utilization of advanced technologies, review of our work procedures from a zero-based perspective, and the tackling of regulations that are considered bottlenecks. Through these measures, we will build a strong organization that supports a Tokyo that shines in the world. Last week, we selected core projects to lead such reform. The early accomplishments of these projects will provide breakthroughs for the TMG as a whole to press forward with structural reform. We will formulate an action plan for structural reform at the end of this fiscal year for concrete implementation of reform.

Tokyo and the entire country connected and co-prospering through Digital First

Around the time the Showa era gave way to the Heisei era, the overall operations of the TMG were relocated to Shinjuku. This time, in the transition from the Heisei to Reiwa era, we will move the whole metropolitan administration to the digital world. We will forcefully advance this concept of the virtual TMG and other structural reform which will create higher value through advanced technologies, and spur on the further evolution of the metropolitan administration.

We have submitted to this regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly the Tokyo Digital First Ordinance in order to thoroughly enforce the digitalization of administrative procedures at the TMG. This proposed ordinance will be a drastic amendment of the current Ordinance on General Online Rules. With this amendment, we will bring about a major shift in the TMG’s administrative procedures that have been based on paper forms, and establish an environment where procedures can be completed digitally anytime and anywhere.

The power of digital technologies is also essential for our country’s sustained growth into the future. Generating new value by overcoming temporal and spatial differences to connect the respective traits and strengths of Tokyo and the rest of Japan holds the key to growth of Japan as a whole. Our “digital first initiatives” will allow all corners of Japan to be immediately connected, and not only will Tokyo and the rest of Japan prosper together, but we will also prevail in the intensifying global competition. Through connections with the other regions of Japan, which go beyond the debate of urban concentration or regional dispersion, I wish for Tokyo to drive the growth of Japan as a whole.

“Sustainable Recovery” as our new stance

Massive restrictions on socioeconomic activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic have also forced a severing of our connections with others. A crucial perspective in the recovery of a vibrant and sustainable Tokyo will be to create a society where people can lead fulfilling lives while reconnecting and developing new connections with the help of digital technology. Creating an environment where people can connect, while also working to prevent infection. Allowing no disruption of children’s learning under any circumstances. Preparing an environment where people can continue activities in the arts, culture, and sports.

In the implementation of such policies we will take on the new perspective of “sustainable recovery” for a society where people from all walks of life can continue to shine, to build a resilient Tokyo that can create new value while flexibly responding to change.

Formulating a “Long-term strategy” to serve as our new compass

Realizing sustainable lives for each and every citizen while establishing the “new normal” and advancing a digital transformation.
In order to refine policies from this perspective we will leverage the structural reform of society and the metropolitan government to upgrade our strategic vision for Tokyo’s future.

The accomplishments will be realized in the formation of the new compass for metropolitan affairs, the long-term strategy, at the end of this fiscal year. Together with the members of the Assembly and the people of Tokyo, we wish to build a bright future for Tokyo that balances maturity and ongoing growth.

6. Nomination of Tokyo Honorable Citizens

For the title of Tokyo Honorable Citizen, we have selected three candidates this year: Ms. Ishii Motoko, Mr. Takizawa Toshio, and Mr. Yokoo Tadanori.

As a lighting design trailblazer, Ms. Ishii pioneered a new charm by adorning cities and buildings with light, giving hope and energy to people in Japan and overseas.

Mr. Takizawa is a master Edo kiriko, Japanese traditional cut glass, craftsman who has spent many years contributing to this art including energetically passing down the tradition.

Active on a number of fronts as an artist, Mr. Yokoo expresses the unique Japanese sensibilities in his original style, achieving international acclaim.

With the approval of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, we would like to award these three worthy candidates with the title of Honorable Citizen next month. The cooperation of the Assembly would be most appreciated.

7. Make the Tokyo 2020 Games a success to light hope for the future

At the Grand Slam U.S. Open Tennis Championships, three Japanese athletes: Osaka Naomi, Kunieda Shingo, and Kamiji Yui, accomplished brilliant wins. This cheerful news gave us courage and deeply touched us, bringing relief to the tensions we feel daily in our fight against COVID-19.

I extend my sincere respect to each of the athletes who focused on training despite being placed in an environment that differed from what they usually expect.

Measures and mechanisms for safe and secure operations were put in place at the tournament, including having the athletes and other related persons regularly take PCR tests and reducing the number of line judges by using an automated system. This was a competition that was significant in reminding the world of the power of sport even amid the corona pandemic, with this made possible by careful preparations.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will also be an extremely significant Games, where humanity comes together to overcome the “invisible enemy” and become a symbol of our strengthened bonds.

We are making thorough preparations with the national government and Organising Committee to bring about the Games’ success as a festival that lights hope for the future for the athletes who play the leading role, all of the volunteers and children, and for everyone awaiting the Games.

By working together with Prime Minister Suga and Tokyo 2020 President Mori, we will take sound steps down the path to the Games’ success by also taking all measures to deal with COVID-19.

At the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, we will share excitement and inspiration with the people of Tokyo and the rest of Japan. Sharing this expectation with the members of the Assembly, I will put forth my utmost efforts for a future Tokyo that is full of hope. I sincerely request your understanding and support.

Including the matter to which I have already referred, a total of 26 proposals have been presented to this regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, including 1 budget and 13 proposed ordinances, to be deliberated among Assembly members.

This concludes my policy address to the Assembly. Thank you.

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