First meeting of the Tokyo Global Financial Center Promotion Council

On Monday, September 1, Governor Masuzoe attended the first meeting of the Tokyo Global Financial Center Promotion Council, which consists of officials from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the national government, the Bank of Japan, and financial industry groups.

At the opening of the meeting, the governor said, “I have set a goal of making Tokyo the best city in the world, and, with the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in mind, we are working hard towards that objective. In this regard, the economy has a fundamental role. Making Tokyo a global financial hub is a major, national-level project. We have a grand objective of making Tokyo a global financial center through down-to-earth efforts and then regenerating the Japanese economy. I would like to ask for your cooperation on this matter. We cannot afford confrontation between the national government and the TMG, or confrontation between the public and private sectors. I hope to proceed with this meeting with the understanding that we are at that critical point.”

After the meeting, Governor Masuzoe told reporters that “We have decided to launch four sub-committees of the council for ‘vitalizing centers for interaction,’ ‘hosting and attracting international financial conferences,’ ‘invigorating the economy by leveraging TMG assets,’ and ‘cultivating global talent.’ The sub-committees will be established as soon as preparations are complete. Discussions will be held within the sub-committees, and a timeline will be drawn up by the end of fiscal 2014.”