When KOIKE Yuriko was elected as the first female Governor of Tokyo in 2016, no one imagined that her re-election four years later would take place during a global pandemic. As a leader of Japan’s capital city, Governor Koike is committed to not only making the city safe from COVID-19, but also preparing to host the long-awaited Olympic Games next year.
Koike’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak has been cited as the main reason for her re-election. A former TV anchor, the guidance she gave brought hope to the city’s 14 million residents who watched with concern as the daily confirmed cases almost doubled in the days before her re-election.
Koike promised to make dealing with COVID-19 her priority, and this secured her the second largest number of voters in Tokyo’s gubernatorial history. There is now speculation that she will run for a prime minister.
Koike still has much work to do, as the city is facing yet another wave of the pandemic. She must also deal with an economic recession and the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
She says it is important that the world starts to think about a post COVID-19 world as a new era. We should learn to live with the virus, she says.
“We need to realize a society where the ‘new normal’ is firmly established, and seek a balance between containing infection and maintaining socioeconomic activities,” she says.
Koike says that the situation in Tokyo is now critical, and there is an increased risk of infection. But she says it is not realistic for businesses to completely cease their operations at the sign of another wave. Governments should take a multi-pronged approach if they want to rebuild their societies in a post-COVID world.
A new way of life
“If this virus, which spreads through human contact, is to be contained, it is essential that a ‘new normal’ is firmly established in terms of patterns of behavior in daily life and the workplace,” Koike says.
For example, encouraging regular careful handwashing and mask usage, maintaining social distancing, reducing human contact by staggering office hours and tele-working, and complying with guidelines to prevent the spread of infection, should be established.
It is necessary to utilize a range of tools with a strategic approach towards disseminating information promptly and accurately to achieve this. All members of society must work together to achieve sustainable growth, she says.
“We need to look beyond conventional norms, and view new lifestyles, shifts in work practices and changes in people’s values and priorities as new opportunities for growth,” she says.
Creating more startups and cultivating a more wholesome environment where the ‘unicorns’ companies of the future can be born is important, she says. Koike also talks about dramatically accelerating digital transformation to generate innovation.
Koike places great emphasis on Tokyo’s SMEs, noting that they are the backbone of the city’s economic growth. SME businesses account for 99 percent of the corporate entities in Tokyo, she says.
“They are the indispensable industrial core, stimulating economic activity in the city,” she says. Supporting SMEs directly correlates to economic growth, she notes.
SMEs have suffered badly from the pandemic, and the government has been working hard on a range of initiatives to help keep them on their feet.
Initiatives include financial assistance, and support through innovation and creative efforts in new areas of demand, such as contactless technology.
“Through these efforts, SMEs gain support which enables them to maintain their business activities while coexisting with coronavirus,” she says.
It is still not easy navigating this extraordinary environment, and Koike admits that it needs all its citizens to get on board with the new measures as they are put in place. But Koike is confident that the city will overcome the challenges.
Tokyo has always rebounded from a crisis, she says, noting Typhoon Hagibis in 2019, the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923.
“What distinguishes the pandemic from previous crises is that the coronavirus is invisible,” she says. “The fight against this ‘invisible enemy’ is expected to be long and protracted, but the city shall prevail, and we shall pave the way for a future.”
The challenge of the Olympics
The city will also rise to the challenge of staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which are now set to take place in a scaled-back form next summer.
“The Tokyo 2020 Games can become a symbol of how the world has united to overcome hardship, and how humanity has strengthened its bonds,” Koike said in an interview with CNBC earlier.
To achieve this, she must make sure that the city is safe enough to host athletes from around the world. But she must also shore-up local support for the event.
In a recent poll released by the Kyodo news agency, less than a quarter of respondents wanted the games to take place in 2021, and 34 percent think the event should be canceled.
Koike maintains that fighting the virus while sustaining the economy is her number one priority.
She announced in early August that two medical facilities dedicated to treating coronavirus patients will be established in Tokyo utilizing existing institutions. One is in Fuchu City and another is in Shibuya Ward with about 100 beds each. Renovations will be completed in October and September respectively.
To prevent the spread of the virus and introduce guidelines that encourage consumption, one such initiative, under the “Tokyo Novel Coronavirus Disease Control Measures Ordinance”, is the introduction of safety stickers displayed in stores and restaurants which have demonstrated strict hygiene standards, etc. Citizens are encouraged to choose places with such stickers.
Koike wants foreign companies to establish their businesses in Tokyo as part of her plan to rejuvenate the city. “We are committed to the continued improvement of the business and social environment of the city, in order to attract skilled financial personnel working in sectors such as asset management or fintech. They will be the driving force for Tokyo’s future growth as an international financial hub,” she says.
While it is yet to be seen what the new Tokyo might look like, for now, the city seems to be in good hands.
“The Tokyo 2020 Games can become a symbol of how the world has united to overcome hardship, and how humanity has strengthened its bonds.”
Measures Taken to Rebuild Tokyo
1. Measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus
- Strengthen information provision systems
- Ensure a supply of goods to prevent infection, establish support centers for foreigners in Tokyo and consolidate health care provision systems, etc.
2. Strengthening safety net to support economic activities and protect residents’ lives
- Support SMEs by introducing interest-free financing, etc.
- Take necessary actions to respond to school closures, support taxi use by pregnant women, and provide temporary accommodation to those who have lost their homes, etc.
3. Commitment to structural societal reform
- Promote online education by providing emergency loans of PCs and routers to homes without terminals or connectivity
- Introduce learning support initiatives, such as cloud services for online classes and educational videos
- Promote teleworking