Email newsletter vol. 36
June 5, 2023

Dear Colleagues and Friends,
We are sending you Vol. 36 of Tokyo Metropolitan Government:
WHAT’S UP, the email newsletter issued by the International Affairs
Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

●COVID-19 downgraded to a Class 5 infectious disease
On May 8, 2023, COVID-19 was downgraded to a Class 5 infectious disease*, marking
a turning point in the long 1,200 day battle against the virus. Governor Koike released avideo message on this, in which she explains Tokyo’s policy for response after thisreclassification as a Class 5 infectious disease. Calling for a “sustainable recovery,”Tokyo will place the highest priority on the lives and wellbeing of the Tokyo residents, andwill strive not just for a return to pre-COVID days, but to also ensure a vibrant Tokyo thatlives with COVID.
On June 2, both a document, Tokyo Post-corona: Toward a Vibrant City, concerningknow-how gained through Tokyo’s experiences and response to COVID-19, which canbe utilized in future measures against infectious diseases, and a short video looking backon Tokyo’s initiatives taken over the 1,200 days since the outbreak of COVID-19 to its
downgrade to a Class 5 infectious disease, were released. In addition, the response
taken by Tokyo and an analysis of the various impacts of COVID-19 on society were also

compiled in two reports.
*A Class 5 categorization includes common infectious diseases such as seasonal
influenza.
・Governor Koike’s video message (in English)
https://tokyodouga.jp/lpo4kquldkk.html
・Tokyo Post-corona: Toward a Vibrant City (in English)
https://www.seisakukikaku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/crossefforts/2023/06/images/letter_Eng.pdf
・(Video) Tokyo Post-corona ～Toward a vibrant City～ (in English)
https://tokyodouga.jp/k40_93sa2yg.html
・Initiatives Taken by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for COVID-19 Response (inEnglish)
・A multi-perspective analysis of the social impacts of COVID-19 (in English)
https://www.seisakukikaku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/cross-efforts/corona/torikumi.html*The contents of the above ”Initiatives Taken by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for
COVID-19 Response” will be renewed.

●G-NETS 2023-2024 meetings(G-NETS Leaders Summit Joint Press Conference)

Last year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government launched a new international networkof cities, Global City Network for Sustainability (G-NETS), to serve as a forum for cities
to meet and discuss how to solve the common challenges they face from various angles,
as well as from the various levels of working-level staff, senior officials, and leaders.
Separate meetings were held for each level. In 2023-2024, G-NETS meetings arescheduled to be held as shown below.
Working Group
Plenary Meeting

Senior Officials Meeting

Leaders SummitDate

Late September 2023

Late November 2023

May 15-17, 2024

StyleOnline

In-person

In-person

Location－Tokyo

Tokyo

ParticipantsWorking-level staff

Senior officials

Mayors/Governors

For details, please see the attached PDF “G-NETS 2023-2024.”
Please see details on G-NETS here.
（https://youtu.be/2kGoh1L8uAI）●Tokyo Aquatics Centre Reopens

A ceremony to mark the reopening of the Tokyo Aquatics Centre from FY 2023 washeld in April, attended by Governor Koike. With the reopening of this facility, all of thenew permanent facilities constructed for the Tokyo 2020 Games have opened. The
swimming facilities of the Tokyo Aquatics Centre are of the world’s highest level. Usingsuch legacies of the 2020 Games, Tokyo offers everyone opportunities to participate insports.
Please see the details here. We hope you will also enjoy using these facilities.

●The interactive game app “Hyper Edohaku Ginza: From Edoto Tokyo” has been released“Hyper Edohaku: Meiji Ginza Edition” was released on April 26 as the second part of“Hyper Edohaku,” the Edo Tokyo Museum’s pioneering interactive game app, which was
the first to be released by a museum in Japan that fully utilizes a game engine. The Tokyo
Ginza area in the Meiji era, which was avidly assimilating Western culture, is reproduced
in 3D graphics using the museum’s scale models of the Ginza brick town and materials
from that time. Players time travel through Ginza in that era as they search for 100
museum items hidden in the app. This game is an enjoyable way for everyone, fromchildren to adults, to find out more about the systems and culture that make up today’sTokyo.
Please see the details here.
Hyper Edohaku: Meiji Ginza Edition special website
https://hyper.edohaku.jp/en/ginza/

Please look forward to future issues featuring the latest initiatives taken by the Tokyo
Metropolitan Government. We will be more than happy if this information serves asreference to you in tackling the challenges our cities share in common.
（The TMG International PR Team）
TOKYO UPDATES，Twitter，Facebook，Instagram

International Affairs Division
Office of the Governor for Policy Planning
8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku 2-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-8001
Find more information on the TMG website.
You can view previous issues of WHAT’S UP here.
This mail is sent to colleagues who have exchanged contact details with us in the past.
If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please inform us by email.
If you would like to have it sent to another email address, or would like to add anotheremail address, please also inform us by email.

５月号の参考和訳●新型コロナウイルス感染症が５類へ移行
令和 5 年 5 月 8 日に、新型コロナウイルス感染症は、５類感染症(*)に位置付けられました。１
２００日にも及ぶコロナとの長い闘いも転換点を迎えました。これを受け、小池知事がビデオメッセージを発信しました。5 類移行後の都の対応方針として、「サステナブル・リカバリー」と称し、都民の命と健康を最優先に、かつての日常を取り戻すだけでなく、コロナとも共存した活気あふれる東京を確かなものにしていくことを掲げました。
また、６月２日には、新型コロナウイルス感染症に対する都の取組とその経験を通じて得た、今後の感染症対策に生かせる知見等について資料「ポストコロナの東京」を作成するとともに、新型コロナウイルス感染症が発生してから５類移行までの１２００日の都の取組を振り返るダイジェスト動画を公開しました。加えて、これまでの都の対応と、社会に与えた様々な影響の分析をまとめました。
*５類感染症は、季節性インフルエンザと同類の位置づけです。
＜小池知事のビデオメッセージ（英語）＞https://tokyodouga.jp/lpo4kquldkk.html＜ポストコロナの東京（英語）＞https://www.seisakukikaku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/crossefforts/2023/06/images/letter_Eng.pdf＜新型コロナウイルス感染症対策ダイジェスト動画（英語）＞https://tokyodouga.jp/k40_93sa2yg.html＜新型コロナウイルス感染症対策に係る東京都の取組（英語）＞＜「多様な切り口から分析する新型コロナウイルス感染症が社会に与えた影響」＞
https://www.seisakukikaku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/cross-efforts/corona/torikumi.html※今後内容が更新されます。

●G-NETS 2023-2024 meetings(G-NETS Leaders Summit Joint Press Conference)昨年、東京都は、世界の共通課題の解決に向けて、実務担当者、実務責任者、首長級のそれぞれ異なるレベルの視点から多角的に議論をする場を設置するため、新たな国際都市ネットワークである「Global City Network for Sustainability（G-NETS）」を立ち上げ、レベル別に３つの会議を開催しました。2023 年～2024 年には、以下のとおり会議を開催予定です。
Working Group
Plenary Meeting

Senior Officials Meeting

Leaders Summit

Date

Late September 2023

Late November 2023

May 15-17, 2024

StyleOnline

In-person

In-person

Location－TokyoTokyo

ParticipantsWorking-level staff

Senior officials

Mayors/Governors

詳細は、添付の PDF ファイル「G-NETS 2023-2024」をご覧ください。
G-NETS については、こちらをご覧ください。

●東京アクアティクスセンター再開業

４月、東京アクアティクスセンターが再開業し、小池知事も出席し、再開業セレモニーが開催されました。東京アクアティクスセンターの再開業をもって、東京 2020 大会を機に整備された新規恒久施設が、全て開業します。東京アクアティクスセンターは、世界最高水準の水泳場です。こうした大会のレガシーを生かし、皆様にスポーツの機会を提供してまいります。
こちらをご覧いただき、皆さまもぜひご利用ください。

●体験型ゲームアプリ「ハイパー江戸博 明治銀座編」をリリース

東京都江戸東京博物館は、国内博物館では初となるゲームエンジンを本格利用した体験型アプリ「ハイパー江戸博」の第 2 弾として、「ハイパー江戸博 明治銀座編」を、4 月 26 日にリリースしました。文明開化にきらめく明治時代の東京銀座を、江戸東京博物館にある銀座煉瓦街の模型や当時の資料をもとに、3D 空間で再現しました。ユーザーはアプリに隠された 100 点の収蔵品を探しながら、西洋化がすすむ明治時代の銀座を時間旅行します。現在の東京を形成した制度や文化を、アプリを通して、子供から大人まで楽しみながら学ぶことができます。
詳細は、こちらをご覧ください。
＜ハイパー江戸博（明治銀座編）特設サイト＞
https://hyper.edohaku.jp/en/ginza/Global City Network for Sustainability(G-NETS)

Amid an increasingly tense international situation, the world is confronting serious threats in forms
such as the climate crisis and the energy and food crises. Cities also face many common challenges
including rapid urbanization, declining birthrates and an aging population. Taking appropriate actions
that consider the rapid advancement of digital technologies are of great importance as well. At thefrontlines of response to such issues are the cities of the world. In order to realize just and sustainable
societies, cities must work together in close cooperation and, through their collective knowledge andexperiences, tackle these huge risks.
Accordingly, last year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government launched a new international network ofcities, Global City Network for Sustainability (G-NETS), to serve as a forum for cities to meet anddiscuss how to solve the common challenges we face from various angles, as well as from the various
levels of working-level staff, senior officials, and leaders. Separate meetings were held for each level.

(G-NETS Leaders Summit Joint Press Conference)■G-NETS FY 2022 meetings
Working-level Staff Online Meeting

September 7-9, 2022

Participation: 30 cities

The Working-level Staff Online Meeting’s aim was to build relationships and share knowledge among those in chargeof issues on the working level. In line with specified topics, concrete projects, their background and the difficulties
encountered were presented by each city to share their initiatives, knowledge and experiences.

Senior Officials MeetingsNovember 28-29, 2022

Participation: 31 cities

The Senior Officials Meeting was held to strengthen relations on the senior level and prepare a communiqué to beannounced at the Leaders Summit. At this meeting, cities confirmed the status of their initiatives and strengthened
relations by sharing their measures and ideas.

Leaders Summit February 27-March 1, 2023
citicitiescities

Participation: 34 cities

Mayors, governors, and other high-level officials representing the network cities participated in the meeting with theaim to strengthen cooperation and to finalize and announce the communiqué. Mayors/Governors made presentations
on their cities' or states' policies, the outlook for the future, and other such topics. It was reaffirmed that they will
cooperate to resolve challenges, and the communiqué was sent out to the world as the outcome of the meeting.

In 2023-2024, G-NETS meetings are scheduled to be held as shown below.
■G-NETS 2023-2024 meetings
Working Group
Plenary Meeting

Senior Officials Meeting

Leaders Summit

Date

Late September 2023

（TBD）

May 15-17, 2024

StyleOnline

In-person

In-person

Location－TokyoTokyo

ParticipantsWorking-level staffSenior officials

Mayors/Governors■ Working Groups
With the approval of the participating cities, it was decided at the G-NETS Leaders Summit in March2023 to establish Working Groups consisting of working-level staff from the participating cities.
At the Working Group Plenary Meeting, various working groups will be formed to conduct ongoing
discussions on more practical approaches (e.g. joint projects) to solve common issues.

(Session)(Plenary Session)(Site Visit)

The purpose of G-NETS is to share knowledge and experience so that cities around the world,which are confronting a harsh international environment, can work together to realize sustainablesocieties. Along with further strengthening intercity cooperation, through proactive communication
between cities to resolve challenges, we hope that the network will also inspire the creation ofpolicies that will forge a bright future.
We look forward to working closely with you in the operation of this network. If you have anyquestions, please feel free to contact us.

✉✉✆

S0014504@section.metro.tokyo.jp+81 3 5388 2167

2-8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku,Tokyo 163-8001 Japan
https://www.g-nets.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/✉International Strategy Team, Planning Section, International Affairs Division,
Office of the Governor for Policy Planning, Tokyo Metropolitan Government