Shoichiro TOYADA
Chairman, Keidanren
Relocating government functions can be an important trigger for fundamental structural reforms. Relieving the over concentration in Tokyo will promote administrative reform, deregulation, and tax and fiscal reform. just to name a few. It will create a more even distribution of resources across Japan. And it will allow for better disaster preparedness in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Now is the time to renew our determination to go forth with the move. The nation requires strong political leadership to make relocation a reality. If the government falters at this point, it will destroy people's faith in the political process. We at Keidanren, too, must reaffirm our commitment to creating a more vigorous and appealing Japan.
In 1990, both houses of the Diet passed a resolution to relocate government functions. Legislators agreed that moving the Diet and other functions would relieve the over-concentration of business and government in Tokyo. And the move will create a political and administrative structure better suited to 21st century Japan.
The Diet set up a committee to study relocation of the capital and other functions. After a three-year study, it called for a decision on a new site by autumn 1998. The report also called for construction on a new Diet building to start in the year 2000 and for the Diet to hold its first session in the new capital by 2010.
Last year, the Diet strengthened the law covering relocation. And in December it created the commission that will choose candidate sites.