3. Winning the fight against COVID-19 and carving out the future beyond

Goto Shinpei, the seventh mayor of the city of Tokyo, is also known for his dedication to public health to protect the lives of people, including the implementation of a large-scale border quarantine after the Sino-Japanese War, which prevented the spread of cholera in Japan. His reconstruction efforts in post-Great Kanto Earthquake Tokyo as the Minister of Home Affairs also led to the capital’s evolution as a modern city through city planning that set out to protect people’s lives from disasters. At that time, Goto’s reconstruction plan was ridiculed as “oburoshiki” (an impossibly large-scale plan), and was only partially realized. Even so, the basic structures of the city built during this period, such as wide roads and modern bridges, served as the foundation for Tokyo to continue growing as one of the leading cities in the world.

Amidst our current fight against an infectious disease, we must successfully wage this battle and bravely carve out the future that lies beyond it. So first, we will take all possible measures to protect our residents’ lives and health, which are of the utmost importance, and support individual citizens’ livelihoods and the city’s economic activity. Furthermore, so that Tokyo will evolve toward the future, we will boldly address our society’s structural challenges. These measures will not only protect the residents from various threats facing our city, such as disasters and infectious diseases, but also allow Tokyo to evolve into a city where it is easier for its citizens to live, work, and learn, which is precisely our vision for a city that strikes a balance between “maturity” and “ongoing growth.”

The ideology of Goto Shinpei’s reconstruction plan was to advance urban development for resilience against recurring earthquakes and to lay the foundations for the sustainable growth of Tokyo and Japan. Concerns have been expressed over the future possibility of a second or third wave of COVID-19. Another new infectious disease may also emerge. Even under such circumstances, Tokyo, the capital of Japan, must keep growing vigorously toward the future under the banner of the Grand Reform of Tokyo. To this end, we will advance measures that will protect us today and lead us into the future. I ask for the understanding and cooperation of the members of the Assembly and the citizens of Tokyo.

Including the matters to which I have already referred, a total of 54 bills have been presented to this regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, including 2 budget bills and 20 proposed ordinances, to be deliberated among the Assembly members.

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