3.Drawing out Tokyo’s potential and strengthening our global competitiveness

Next, I wish to speak about powering up our city to emerge victorious in the competitive global environment. We will draw out Tokyo’s potential and strategically invest in the future to bring about new growth.

Fully supporting challengers driving innovation

We will move forward with building Tokyo Innovation Base, a place for startups to gather and drive innovation. It is crucial for us to take swift action and provide many diverse layers of support. First, we will use part of a facility in the Yurakucho district and begin preparations for the base’s pre-opening in autumn. While gradually enhancing services and expanding our circle of collaborators, we will grow the base into a large platform for startup support. Additionally, we will call for the cooperation of municipalities to greatly expand the scope of field trials occurring under the King Salmon Project, which supports the growth of startups through facilitating collaborative field projects in metropolitan services. Moreover, by generating more exchange opportunities with startups, we will raise enthusiasm among local government officials for public-private partnerships and give rise to a string of model initiatives.

Further promoting SusHi Tech Tokyo

Tokyo has many qualities that incentivize challengers and is undertaking many efforts to support their endeavors. Continuing to convey these under the banner of “SusHi Tech Tokyo” will significantly increase the global magnetism of our city. This summer, in the same building as the startup base I just mentioned, we will also open a center where people can experience cutting-edge digital technologies. Additionally, we will proactively market Tokyo abroad in real and virtual ways, such as through promoting digital content introducing the appeal of our diverse industries and the rich history and culture of Tokyo dating back to the Edo period. And next May, startups and city leaders will once again gather from across the world with great expectations and be taken across time by encountering visions for future cities at Sushi Tech Tokyo 2024. As we move forward, promoting Tokyo’s strengths and potential under a single cohesive brand will further impress our city’s exceptional value on global society.

Laying groundwork for the digital transformation of all of Tokyo

We have rapidly advanced digital transformation （DX）, which has caused the flow of work at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to dramatically evolve over the past four years. Now, our focus will shift from the DX of metropolitan services to the DX of all of Tokyo, going beyond the TMG to accelerate collaboration with municipalities. Our goal is to become one of the world’s most digitally advanced cities. Preparations to establish “GovTech Tokyo” as the driving force behind our DX efforts are being made in collaboration with individuals at the forefront of the public and private sectors who have been appointed as its directors. To coincide with the organization’s September launch, we will release our vision for Tokyo and harness the synergy between the policymaking power of the TMG and the technical prowess of GovTech Tokyo to transform Tokyo into a city that everyone will feel has become better through digitalization. Recently, generative AI programs such as ChatGPT have garnered global attention. While evaluating the benefits and risks of these programs, we will study safe and efficient ways of implementing them and establish usage guidelines so that we may leverage this revolutionary technology to further improve metropolitan services.

Enhancing the functionality of the Port of Tokyo

In the global economy where goods are transported across oceans, international competition in maritime logistics is also intensifying. At the Port of Tokyo, which sees more shipping container traffic than any other port in Japan, we will promote DX through the use of AI and other technologies to significantly improve productivity and disaster resilience. Additionally, there is a need to enhance port functionality through strategic measures that look to the future, such as upgrading wharfs and advancing decarbonization through the use of hydrogen. This fiscal year, we will formulate a new port and harbor plan outlining such measures to realize a Port of Tokyo that is chosen by the world.