7. Closing remarks

The great accomplishments of Goto Shinpei, who built the framework of Tokyo as its seventh mayor and contributed to the capital’s recovery after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, remain as important arterial roads including present-day Showa-dori Ave., Yasukuni-dori Ave., and Meiji-dori Ave. Moreover, the Metropolitan Expressway and the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train that are legacies of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games formed the cornerstone of our rapid economic growth.

In addition to such visible infrastructure, what we need in the Reiwa era are invisible “roads for data.” In order for Tokyo to achieve “Society 5.0,” advance distance learning and remote diagnostics, and secure our competitiveness as a financial market, we must quickly advance construction of 5G networks: high-capacity, next-generation mobile networks that are expected to be 100 times faster than that of the current generation.

The vision for “roads of data” that we announced last week as the Tokyo Data Highway Basic Strategy refers to the creation of a telecommunications super highway. As new trends in digital transformation, such as AI and IoT, change the world with amazing speed, Japan unfortunately is beginning to trail behind other countries in competitiveness and productivity. Now is the time for Tokyo to continue to challenge the world at large. We must boldly confront challenges that include ensuring sustainable growth and security in a society where people live longer. To that end, I am once again determined to further advance the Grand Reform of Tokyo. I sincerely request the understanding and support of the Assembly and that of the people of Tokyo.

Including the matters to which I have already referred, a total of 46 proposals have been presented to this regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, including 38 proposed ordinances and 4 proposed contracts, to be deliberated among the Assembly members.

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