Policy Speech by Governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara at the Fourth Regular Session of the Metropolitan Assembly, 2002

2 Strong ties between major cities

Amidst the increase of wide-area tasks beyond regional boundaries, as seen in the development of trunk roads, inter-city alliances are important in lobbying the government to implement certain policies. Tokyo is initiating partnerships with major cities in and outside Japan.

*Partnerships with major Japanese cities

The seven prefectural and municipal authorities, which comprise the Megalopolis Region, complement each other in forming a unified living and economic zone. Its 33 million residents rarely notice prefectural and municipal boundaries. Currently, the seven metropolitan authorities are catching up with this public mentality in strengthening mutual exchange. Partnership between the seven authorities is essential for improving administrative services to the residents. The present trend should be maintained into the future. The conference of the leaders of the seven authorities is becoming an increasingly important venue for sharing the mutual perception of the partnership.

One of the major achievements in the latest leaders' conference last month, was the new agreement on the risk management system. In case of a major disaster striking a heavily concentrated area like the Megalopolis Region, a working partnership between local authorities is essential for minimizing damage. While agreeing to enhance joint disaster drills, the leaders also decided to set up a new organization for addressing various issues swiftly, with the secretariat to be established in Tokyo.

As for risk management, the metropolitan government will revamp its own initiatives as well. The director-level post of "crisis management officer" will be set up in April next year for ensuring swift information gathering and a confusion-free chain of command. The officer will maintain constant contact with police, fire brigades and Self Defense Forces, and carry out innovative measures to reflect our commitment to protecting the lives and assets of Tokyo residents.

The metropolitan leaders' conference also saw progress in the issues of diesel vehicle regulation and urban regeneration. Regarding the diesel vehicle regulation, the conference issued an urgent proposal that the central government establish a system for helping people suffering from diesel-related health problems. A taskforce was set up to strengthen coordination as we approach the implementation of the local ordinance on diesel vehicles in October next year. The conference ended with significant results, also confirming mutual cooperation in the task of regenerating the Megalopolis Region.

In the future, the conference will expand to include Saitama City, forming the foundation of a wide-area administration. Yet, in order to respond to future situations flexibly, active efforts must be made to shape new partnership frameworks, with some actions already taken with Kanagawa and Osaka.

In one example, Tokyo, together with Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama City and Kawasaki City, has issued a proposal urging the national government to establish a special economic zone in Tokyo Bay's waterfront area, and to promote concentrated investments through offering tax incentives.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with the Osaka government, the largest local authority in western Japan, the metropolitan government appealed for boosting road-related revenue sources as a way of promoting road development, currently an absolute must in large cities. Tokyo and Osaka, the nation's largest economic zones, must cooperate as two wheels of a vehicle, and make national initiatives. With even a greater framework of partnership in mind, we are committed to contributing to the regeneration of the Japanese nation.

*Coordination with major cities around the world

Tokyo is establishing strong ties not only with Japanese cities but also with overseas cities, especially those in Asia.

The second plenary meeting of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 was held in Delhi, India on 21st and 22nd of last month, adopting a joint declaration at its conclusion. It was a fruitful two days, with representatives of participating cities exchanging frank opinions on the environment, and proposing the launching of a study on the common urgent task of risk management.

Active debates are underway, embroiling national governments and private businesses, on Tokyo's proposal to jointly promote the development of small and medium passenger jets. Heightening enthusiasm among concerned cities represented a significant progress. The meeting also debated on intra-city coordination in tourism projects and distance education utilizing IT. The policy seedlings, planted by Asian cities, appear to be growing strongly and steadily.

Prior to the meeting, we were able to visit an airplane manufacturer and IT businesses, closely related to planned joint projects, to witness the high level of potential the Asian region has. With the cooperation of Asian cities and countries, there is a good chance of forming a third world power comparable to the United States and Europe. We feel a growing need for a regional partnership for the continued development of Asia.

This autumn, we have also launched a campaign for upgrading relationships with two of Europe's largest cities, London and Berlin. While many Tokyo residents regularly choose these two cities and the rest of Europe as their holiday destinations, only a limited number of Europeans come to Tokyo to visit. Combining the latest science and technology with traditional arts, Tokyo is fully capable of delivering full satisfaction to overseas visitors. If certain conditions are met, our city will be flooded with foreign visitors.

What we need is to publicize the charms of Tokyo. In conjunction with private businesses, we have recently sent a tourism mission to London and Berlin. This was the first attempt by a Japanese local government to conduct a full-scale overseas campaign to publicize itself as a holiday destination.

The mission attracted a high level of interest in both cities, with its seminars and business sessions attracting over 250 people from more than 100 local travel agencies, etc. These events delivered concrete results, including successful business contracts for tour operators. Similar campaigns will be actively conducted in the future to attract overseas travelers.