3. Increase the value of Tokyo’s proud infrastructure and resources for sustainable growth

While advancing construction of this new foundation for Tokyo’s development, we will realize Tokyo’s sustainable growth as we respond to the changing times by further raising the value of our present infrastructure and resources and working to boost the city.

Road network supporting Tokyo’s growth

With regard to our roadway network that supports Tokyo’s growth and draws out its latent strength, on the day before yesterday, the Komatsugawa Junction connecting the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway’s Central Circular Route with the Komatsugawa Route newly opened to traffic. With the opening of this junction, there are now more routes connecting Tokyo to Saitama and Chiba, which will help ease traffic congestion in central Tokyo. This month also brought the opening of the Shibuya entry ramp on the outbound lane of the Shibuya line. This is expected to improve access to the suburbs and ease chronic congestion around Shibuya Station. With a focus on increased productivity and greater disaster resilience not only for Tokyo, but the National Capital Region as a whole, we will steadily continue to form an arterial road network that will demonstrate high stock effects.

Vitalization of the wholesale market, the foundation of citizens’ rich lives

Tokyo’s wholesale markets are also important infrastructure for a diverse food culture and other elements enriching citizens’ lives. I have visited 10 markets and met with wholesalers who are striving toward even further development. I once again would like to express my sincere respect to them. The TMG will also make efforts to further vitalize the wholesale markets. The key to that is the amendment to the Central Wholesale Market Ordinance presented to this regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. As logistics and commercial transactions continue to diversify, in order for wholesale markets to continue to serve their central role in the distribution of fresh food and others we must create an environment that is easier to use by many businesses, including this amendment to the law. This amendment will ease regulations to boost trading vitality while maintaining systems to ensure fair trading and food safety and security. We will fully support innovative initiatives by market parties and will put in our utmost efforts so that all of Tokyo’s citizens may continue to rest assured and enjoy a satisfying consumer lifestyle.

Broaden the range of unique venues to attract MICE

With the world’s attention on us in the run up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, it has never been a better time than now to attract international conferences and other MICE events and link this to Tokyo’s growth. Tokyo has many unique venues, places that can be used to make conferences or receptions special. We will aggressively work to attract events while leveraging those attractive resources.

I promoted the charm of such a venue with the mayor of Katsushika-ku in October. We held an event in the Shibamata area to share new possibilities for using Taishakuten-Daikyoji Temple—Tokyo’s only Important Cultural Landscape—and the shopping district leading up to the temple as a unique venue. A similar event is being held today in Meguro-ku at the former residence of the Maeda family. I will continue to expand the use of unique venues and accelerate the attraction of MICE events.

Advance projection mapping to make Tokyo colorful

With our sights on amending the ordinance on outdoor advertising, we are looking into easing regulations to enable more projection mapping which, as a tourism resource, has the potential to increase Tokyo’s charm. We recently put together a proposed revision to the regulations based on field tests on its impact on scenery, traffic safety, and others. This amendment will allow projection mapping to be held flexibly in areas that want to use it to vitalize the community based on the particular area’s rules. I would like to propose this amendment to the ordinance at next year’s first regular session of the Assembly so that this fantastic projection of lights can make Tokyo even more colorful.

The spread of MaaS for more convenient travel and enhanced added value

MaaS—mobility-as-service, a service that is now attracting the world’s attention—enhances the convenience and added-value of transportation such as conveying the charms of the surrounding area in addition to displaying the optimal mode of transportation to one’s destination by combining railway, bus, demand-responsive transit and other travel modes. The TMG will begin a field test for social implementation in three areas with differing characteristics: the central Tokyo area, waterfront area, and Tama region. As the first step in spreading the use of MaaS, we will implement measures such as launching Japan’s first transportation guide linking real-time railway and bus operation data and a system to reserve and pay for different modes of transportation at one place.