The 87^th Annual Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors Annual Luncheon: A Celebration of City Livability June 29, 2019

On June 29, Governor Koike gave a speech entitled “2020 and Beyond: Creating a Sustainable New Tokyo” at the United States Conference of Mayors’ Annual Luncheon in Honolulu, Hawaii. She started her speech by talking about the strong ties that Tokyo enjoys with the US. This included Tokyo’s first sister city New York as well as Los Angeles, with whom Tokyo concluded a mutual cooperation agreement last year.

Ms. Koike spoke on her vision to create a “New Tokyo” which is three cities in one: a safe city, a diverse city, and a smart city. She also outlined the three central pillars to achieving this vision: urban resilience, earning potential, and connecting people.

The governor explained how the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 are only a year away and are now entering the final preparation stages. She introduced key policies and projects that Tokyo is advancing for the Games.

• Envisioning the Tokyo 2020 Games as the “Recovery Olympics and Paralympics” to show the world what progress has been made in the areas affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami (starting the Olympic torch relay and the first Olympic events from Fukushima Prefecture, one of the affected areas; using zero-emission hydrogen produced in Fukushima at the Olympic Village)
• Taking advantage of the Tokyo 2020 Games to show the world a model for a sustainable society (using “urban mines” where Tokyo collects used mobile phones and other small electronics to produce nearly 5,000 medals for the Games)
• Creating a “barrier-free” society through the preparation for the Paralympics (removing steps and grade differences from public spaces; issuing ordinances to encourage lodging facilities to be made barrier-free)
• Promoting the “Smooth Biz” campaign that is encouraging new work styles such as telework and staggered work times in order to curb public transport traffic, improve efficiency and encourage more people to join the workforce
• Leaving the legacy of the Games to be something more intangible but no less important for the future

In her conclusion, she stated that she hopes to use the Tokyo 2020 Games as a springboard for the future wherein Tokyo is a model for sustainable development.

She ended by saying that we all hope that the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be successful and will be carried out with the world at peace, adding that to ensure peace she hopes that the alliance between the US and Japan is ever-lasting.