2. Enhancing Tokyo’s dynamism as a super-aging society

Realizing “Diversity” (a diverse city) where everyone can lead active lives and raising the level of vitality of each and every Tokyo citizen are essential to bringing about sustainable growth for Tokyo. I would now like to speak about the policies that we will focus on to allow “people” to shine.

Promote a community model for a super-aging society

How will we realize a society that enables senior citizens to continue to be motivated and play an active role, while living with peace of mind in their communities? For Tokyo, which will become a super-aging society in 2025 when the last of the baby boomer generation reach 75 years of age, this is a challenge that must be addressed immediately.

Last month, we launched an advisory panel made up of experts from various fields to consider the vision for Tokyo as a super-aging society. The panel is now broadly studying the vision for a society where lifespan reaches 100 years, including lifelong active participation in society, cross-generational interaction and exchange, and the use of advanced technologies. Along with reflecting what we can of the panel’s findings in the budget proposal for next fiscal year, we are also requesting that they compile their findings as policy proposals by August next year. From Tokyo, whose population is aging at an unparalleled pace, we will show Japan and the world a future model for communities in a super-aging society.

Building a society where children can have a healthy upbringing

Meanwhile, we are also advancing the establishment of a society where each and every one of our children, our future, can have a healthy upbringing. This fiscal year, halfway through the period of TMG’s comprehensive plan to support children and child rearing, we will conduct a review of this plan, which introduces the roadmap to creating such a society. The review will be based on factors such as outcomes of measures taken to date and changes in social conditions.

Specifically, we will include comprehensive measures that target childhood poverty to realize a society where the cycle of intergenerational poverty is overcome and all children can pursue their dreams and shine. Through efforts such as verifying targets for establishing childcare services based on the results of a childcare needs survey of households raising children, we hope to make this plan a sound compass that will contribute to the elimination of child daycare waiting lists.

The application period for entering child daycare facilities next April has already started. Since I took office as governor, we have implemented large-scale policies in rapid succession to address waiting lists, and have successfully increased capacity at childcare facilities by over 20,000 children -- the largest ever one-year capacity increase. This year as well, we will do our utmost to continue raising capacity. We will work not only to alleviate the concerns of women who play active roles in society, but also to create an environment where the dynamism of women can be leveraged to benefit society.

Cultivating Tokyo’s future talent

(Education’s role in cultivating talent)

Our children, who have enormous potential, are the force that will power Tokyo into the future. On the 14th of this month, I will have the opportunity to meet with the Board of Education when we hold this fiscal year’s second Comprehensive Council on Education. The theme of discussions will be the current state and challenges faced by metropolitan high schools working to cultivate talent for Tokyo’s future. Principals from four high schools advancing unique initiatives will also participate, and we will deepen discussions with the members of the board on topics such as the role of education in cultivating talented human resources. We hope to have these discussions reflected in the next implementation plan for reform of metropolitan high schools scheduled to be formulated in the next fiscal year, and apply them to the further development of metropolitan high schools.

(Promotion of work-style reform at schools)

Against the backdrop of increasingly complex issues at school, the further expansion of curriculum, and other challenges, long working hours have become routine for teachers. Last month, we released the interim report for a plan to promote work-style reform at schools so that teachers can engage in their work, physically and mentally fit, and with a sense of pride and motivation. The report sets forth five directions for policies, including securing a system to support teachers and reducing burdens associated with student club activities, and seeks to gain the support of parents/guardians and local communities. Based on the opinions of Tokyo residents, we will release the plan next February, and working with the Board of Education and municipalities, have the plan contribute to maintaining and improving the quality of education.

Promoting work-style reform through public-private collaboration

Telework, which facilitates flexible working styles, serves as a trigger for improved productivity and more participation of women and senior citizens in society. To further accelerate telework in Tokyo’s companies, yesterday, I signed an agreement with Akio Mimura, Chairman of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which has about 78,000 member companies, to promote work-style reform. Along with initiatives advanced by the TMG such as the Flex Time Biz campaign and the TOKYO Work-Style Reform Declaration program, in collaboration with commerce and industry groups in Tokyo, including those in the Tama area, we will work to expand the use of telework.

We are also making steady advancements in work-style reform at the TMG. In October, we just launched a trial implementation of measures such as a “work interval” system, which requires employees to take a set number of hours off before starting work the following day, and a system of prohibiting employees from working consecutive Saturdays and Sundays. For full-fledged implementation of a system from next April that allows employees to set flexible working hours, we are presenting a bill to amend the relevant ordinance at this regular session of the Assembly. Those who recently took part in the TMG work-style declaration, including myself, specially appointed officials, and all TMG bureau director generals, will demonstrate leadership and create a highly productive work environment. The TMG will change the way Japan and Tokyo works.

Ensuring safety and security to serve as the foundation for the vitality of Tokyo citizens

A society that is safe and secure is the foundation for the vitality of the people of Tokyo. We are broadly advancing initiatives to realize a “Safe City,” including preparations for major earthquakes, enhancement of public safety, and counterterrorism measures.

<Protecting Tokyo residents from natural disasters>

Through the establishment of our emergency disaster response headquarters, close cooperation with municipalities, and other efforts, we have appropriately responded to natural disasters, which are becoming more and more severe. Concerning heavy rain and storm surges caused by typhoons, regulating reservoirs, seawalls, and floodgates located in Tokyo are demonstrating their great effectiveness. We will firmly protect the lives and assets of the people of Tokyo from the threat of natural disasters by continuing to build structures and through prompt collection and distribution of information in cooperation with relevant agencies, and other means.

<Steady promotion of the elimination of utility poles>

Removal of utility poles prevents blockage of roads by poles that have toppled over when a major earthquake strikes. On “No Utility Poles Day,” November 10th, we held an event to raise awareness about the elimination of utility poles. Through the event, we were able to share with many the importance of measures and challenges faced. As we continue working to broaden understanding among Tokyo residents, we will engage in measures such as the development of technologies that will lead to lower costs. Furthermore, while also considering movements by the central government, we hope to draw up a new plan within the fiscal year that sets forth basic policies and objectives, and steadily spread safe and pleasant townscapes void of utility poles throughout all areas of Tokyo.

<Revision of the Basic Plan for Consumer Life>

There is still no end to damages suffered by consumers due to malicious business practices. In response to the need to accurately respond to the changing society, including a super-aging population and an increase in electronic business transactions, last month, we released a draft of a new Basic Plan for Consumer Life. The plan contains up-to-date initiatives including measures such as promoting understanding with regard to “ethical consumption,” which gives consideration to people, society, and the environment, and enhancing consumer education aimed at youth in consideration of the lowering of the legal age of adulthood. We aim to formulate the plan by the end of this fiscal year, and using innovative ways to distribute information, we will ensure the safety and security of consumers -- the citizens of Tokyo.

<Dealing with threats posed to children>

We also cannot ignore threats posed to our children. To prevent harm to children through so-called “sexting,” we have submitted a bill for amending the Ordinance for the Sound Development of Youth at this session of the Assembly. Along with stipulating that the promotion of education aimed at preventing harm is the responsibility of the TMG, the amended ordinance will prohibit the act of pressuring minors under the age of 18 into providing inappropriate images and prescribes penalties for violations. Through the regulations of this ordinance, we will protect our youth without fail and further accelerate the realization of a society that raises sound youth.