Governor's opening remarks

[Governor] Today, I will be reporting on three matters. First, I would like to inform you of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's response to the ruling ordering an investigation into the case of newborn baby mix-up at the former Sumida Municipal Maternity Hospital.

First of all, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government would like to once again offer its deepest apologies to the plaintiff, Ezo Satoshi, and all those involved for the immense pain and suffering caused by the newborn baby mix-up 67 years ago.

On the 21st of this week, the Tokyo District Court issued a ruling ordering the metropolitan government to conduct an investigation to discover Ezo-san's true parents. We can only imagine the situation and feelings that Ezo-san has endured for many years. Ezo-san's adoptive mother is also elderly.

As the metropolitan government that caused the mistake, I have accepted the ruling and have decided not to appeal. The metropolitan government will respect this ruling and conduct an investigation.

In the investigation, we will take every precaution to handle the personal information of the subjects and will respond to them with care and consideration for the feelings of each person. The Health and Medical Bureau, which is in charge of this matter, will provide an explanation later.

1. Measures against US tariff measures

[Governor] Next, I would like to inform you about the impact of tariff measures and support measures for small and medium-sized enterprises in this regard.

There are strong concerns that the tariff measures imposed by the United States will have an impact on industries in Tokyo, including a decrease in orders and sales for small and medium-sized enterprises.

On Tuesday the 22nd, I met directly with Prime Minister Ishiba and Minister Akazawa, together with Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura.

Tokyo and Aichi Prefecture are home to a large number of companies from a wide range of industries, totaling approximately 620,000 companies, or roughly 20% of the total in Japan. We have requested persistent negotiations with the U.S. government, support for businesses, and measures aimed at the development of the Japanese economy.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been closely assessing the current situation on the ground, including by quickly setting up a special consultation desk. Concerns about the future and cash flow are spreading, but the situation is not one that can be viewed optimistically.

Therefore, we will make flexible use of this year's budget and implement new measures starting today.

First, for small and medium-sized enterprises whose sales have declined due to the impact of the tariff measures, we will support their cash flow by subsidizing guarantee fees for institutional loans. We will also provide assistance for the introduction of equipment necessary for digital transformation and the development of new sales channels, and we will provide support from experts to help them review their overseas production bases and sales plans.

By taking proactive measures here, we will support companies in responding quickly to changes in the global supply chain.

In addition, the S&P Global Ratings report on ratings, which serve as a guide for investors considering purchasing Tokyo Metropolitan Government bonds, has recently been updated.

The rating is A+ (single A plus). The rating for Tokyo alone, excluding the national government's influence, has also improved to aa+ (double A plus), and both ratings have been maintained.

The global economy is currently in great turmoil. Even in this extremely uncertain economic climate, I believe that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's sound financial management is being highly praised.

We will continue to utilize the financial foundation that we have built up to date to swiftly and accurately implement policies that will not only address urgent issues but also contribute to the growth of Tokyo and Japan as a whole.

The Industrial and Labor Bureau and the Finance Bureau are in charge of this.

2. SusHi Tech Tokyo 2025

[Governor] Next, I would like to make an announcement about SusHi Tech Tokyo 2025, which is fast approaching.

SusHi Tech Tokyo 2025 will be held for three days starting on the 8th (Thursday) of next month at Tokyo Big Sight. Startups and investors from all over the world will gather on the Business Days on the 8th (Thursday) and 9th (Friday).

Of the 130 sessions, 80% will be in English, and 50% will be from overseas, making this a truly global event.

As for overseas pavilions, the number of pavilions is three times that of last year, at 16. And the proportion of overseas startups among the 600 exhibitors (the proportion of overseas startups among the total of 600 exhibitors) is 60%.

In addition, companies from various technology fields, including buzz-generating AI, will come together under one roof.

If you are a business person who would like to experience the world's most cutting-edge innovations, please apply for a ticket on our website and we would like to invite you to participate.

In addition, if you apply early by Wednesday, April 30th, you will receive a discount on your tickets.

The final day will be Saturday, May 10th, but this Saturday will be a public day that everyone, from children to adults, can enjoy.

We have added more content that will allow you to experience the joy of taking on new challenges by experiencing the latest technology and ideas from challengers.

For example, there will be a talk session between Mr. Sugai and Mr. Tsurusaki of QuizKnock, a popular group known for their quiz videos, and then there will be a quiz related to SusHi Tech.

We are also preparing for the opportunity to experience operating a replica of the microrover, a rover that is scheduled to actually land on the moon in June.

Admission to this event is free, and it falls on the last day of the long weekend, so I hope you'll start planning it now.

This is being carried out by the Startup Strategy Promotion Headquarters.

3. Recruiting participants for child policy initiatives

Governor: Children's Day is just around the corner, so I would like to inform you about three initiatives that are based on children's perspectives.

First of all, we are recruiting workshop members for the "Tokyo Children's Homepage."

As I mentioned briefly before, this website is used by approximately 50,000 children every day. The number of page views per year exceeds 100 million, making it extremely popular and continuously growing.

Every year we strive to improve the content by reflecting children's opinions, and we are pleased to announce that this year we will be holding a workshop inviting elementary school students.

The second project is for people who have now grown out of elementary school and are now looking for members to help create a website for junior and senior high school students (provisional title: Junior and Senior High School Student Website).

Regarding the children's homepage mentioned earlier, it is primarily targeted at elementary school children, but we have heard some people saying, "We want a website that's specialized for middle and high school students," so this year we are creating this website with a thorough user-oriented approach.

We will hold workshops based on concepts such as learning using AI and providing information from the perspective of junior and senior high school students. We will also incorporate innovative ideas from junior and senior high school students.

In conjunction with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Children's Homepage that I mentioned earlier, we will be accepting applications from today until Friday, May 16th, so we look forward to receiving many applications.

Finally, we are looking for companies and organizations to help provide work experience for junior and senior high school students.

In light of the current situation in which many junior and senior high school students are seeking work experience for their future, we will be starting a new initiative this year to match junior and senior high school students with companies and organizations. Let's call it an internship.

This initiative is a realization of the proposals made in the project that was held last year to involve junior and senior high school students in policy decision-making.

We are currently accepting applications from corporate organizations that can host junior and senior high school students during the summer vacation period, until Friday, May 30th.

This is something I am in charge of in the Children's Policy Liaison Office, so I would like to hear from many companies and organizations that are interested in accepting children and junior and senior high school students into their homes.

That's all from me, so I'll return the favor.