7. In conclusion

Recently, I visited India and Finland to attend an international conference and to build connections, and I will never forget the bright faces of the young people I met there. They were filled with hope for the future and zeal for leading the world. I once again felt the conviction that the power of people is what drives large-scale national growth. Tokyo will be the force to break through the status quo of a rapidly shrinking Japan. No matter the era in which we find ourselves, turning society into one where each and every individual is able to discover hope and fully demonstrate their individual strengths will be the key to making Tokyo’s growth sustainable and invigorating all of Japan.

The actions we take are not only for the sake of those of us living in the present. Goto Shinpei had a trusted advisor in the American historian Dr. Charles A. Beard. When Goto was leading efforts to reconstruct the imperial capital city of Tokyo, which had burned down following the Great Kanto Earthquake, Dr. Beard advised him in a letter to “build not for today, but for eternity.” We owe our modern-day prosperity to our predecessors who gave serious consideration to the unknown future. And through the Grand Reform of Tokyo—in other words, the great innovation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government—we will work to ensure a bright future for Tokyo where everyone will shine, even 100 years from now.

Including the matters to which I have already referred, a total of 35 bills, including 13 ordinance bills and 8 proposed contracts, have been presented to this regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly for deliberation among the Assembly members.

This concludes my speech to the Assembly. Thank you.