6. Elevating the Tama area and Tokyo Islands into universally admired locations

Next, initiatives related to the Tama area and Tokyo’s islands. The world has no shortage of large cities, but what defines Tokyo are the Tama area and Tokyo Islands. This belief is reflected in the budget proposal. We will elevate these areas into comfortable, appealing, and universally admired locations.

Making the Tama area more comfortable and appealing

Last month, we announced a draft for an urban development strategy for the Tama area that builds on recent societal changes such as the COVID-19 pandemic and DX. While treasuring Tama’s lush nature, calm residential environments, and well-cultivated history and culture, we will transform the area through both hard and soft infrastructure. The extension of the Tama Monorail will dramatically expand the possibilities of areas along the rail line. Accommodating the characteristics of each station, we will collaborate with local municipalities to advance the creation of communities that will serve as models for new styles of living and working. In the Tama New Town district, where half a century has passed since the move-in of residents, we will engage in new community development efforts under the concept of “living, nurturing, working,” which make the most of the high-quality, verdant residential environment.

There are also advanced technologies that lie dormant in the numerous universities and research facilities concentrated in Tama. We will bring these technologies to the forefront and use them to generate new values to transform society, including by encouraging their practical application as a business through undertakings such as joint development projects with SMEs.

Most importantly, we will share the diverse appeals of the area with people nationwide, so that Tama will shine brighter than ever. We will strategically and boldly advance branding efforts for Tama and build the area into one that everyone will want to visit and live in.

Strategically attracting people with the distinctive qualities of the Tokyo Islands

The living environment on Tokyo’s islands differs greatly from that of Tokyo’s urban centers. We must work strategically to leverage the distinctive qualities of the islands to draw people there. We will harness the full potential of the land and facilities of sites such as fishing ports and hotels, as we aim to generate new vitality and jobs on the islands. Besides promoting the establishment of lodging facilities in line with sustainable tourism, a concept gaining traction overseas, we will also begin building a luxurious airport lounge and develop infrastructure to welcome private jet travelers. We will refine and utilize the immense, extraordinary appeal of the islands to draw in a diverse mix of visitors, with particular focus on affluent international travelers, while also working to generate repeat visitors. Additionally, we will work to tackle challenges unique to the islands and grow the population of people with connections to the islands by promoting resident-led initiatives to solve local issues in partnership with outside talent and businesses.

We will also enhance the disaster preparedness of the islands. In addition to introducing drones that can be remotely controlled to swiftly assess damages following a disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami, we will establish facilities on Miyakejima Island to protect residents from volcanic projectiles that result from periodic volcanic eruptions.