5. Tokyo is creating the future with digital transformation

At the opening ceremony for the 2020 Games, around 1,800 drones staged a perfectly coordinated performance. Facial recognition systems were installed at every competition venue and contributed significantly to the safe operation of the Games. By leveraging the experience we gained through this time’s Games, which gave us an inkling of future society brought about by DX (digital transformation), we will spread digital and cutting-edge technologies to every corner of society. And we will build a comfortable and highly convenient city by utilizing the power of digital technology in various fields such as urban development, disaster readiness, and education.

Realize Smart Tokyo

For the realization of Smart Tokyo, we will promote initiatives together with local communities through ongoing dialogue with local businesses and other stakeholders using online tools. In the Nishi-Shinjuku area, utilizing smart poles that are being installed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, we will carry out demonstration tests that can lead to solving various social issues. In the beginning of the new year, we will begin demonstrations including operations of autonomous driving buses and taxis, as well as a new automated delivery service using robots, and will use the knowledge and results gained to jump start the early commercialization of such advanced technologies.

Also, this fiscal year in a hilly district in the Minami Osawa area, we will start a MaaS (Mobility as a Service) demonstration test that also includes electric bicycle sharing. By promoting these efforts we will create towns where people can travel to their destination easily, and are full of richness and vitality.

Strengthen resiliency against disasters utilizing DX

We will make good use of DX to strengthen resiliency against disasters. A “digital twin” can reproduce Tokyo’s buildings and landscapes in cyber space. Analysis using live data, such as traffic congestion information, will lead to solutions to various issues Tokyo confronts. We have recently created a beta version of the system and will conduct a variety of proof of concept projects, including efforts to present safe evacuation routes in the event of a disaster by visualizing people flow data.

Also, for Tokyo citizens to evacuate quickly and properly, we will strengthen the dissemination of real-time information in times of disaster. Currently, on YouTube, we are providing uninterrupted 24-hour live video feeds from river monitoring cameras and sea surface images showing the tide level of the Port of Tokyo. We will also build systems using mobile phone location data to visualize situations such as the concentration of stranded commuters. In such ways, we will take all possible measures to protect the lives of our residents from frequently occurring natural disasters.

Advance DX at places of education

Learning must not be stopped under any circumstance. This makes digital transformation of classrooms an urgent matter. We have decided on an approach to reduce the burden placed on parents and guardians in the purchase of their child’s PC for the establishment of a one-on-one computing environment at Tokyo metropolitan high schools. So that all students will have this essential classroom tool, we will establish a financial support scheme for all households that will put a cap on their costs of purchasing a PC. We will continue to deepen our discussion for its introduction in the next fiscal year.

Formulate an “action guide” to accelerate structural reform of the TMG

To promote DX of the metropolitan government, we are rolling out an initiative to build a service development infrastructure centering on the Bureau of Digital Services established in April. Recently, we prepared guidelines for a “user test,” which incorporates users’ opinions into the development process. The set of values that should be shared among the TMG officials, technical standards, and other points will later be compiled as an “action guide.” We will further accelerate structural reform of the TMG by promoting understanding throughout the government of the concepts raised in the action guide with the aim to substantially raise the quality of Tokyo’s services.