PRINCIPAL POLICIES OF THE TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT

Improving Transportation

Japan's Leading International Port

The Port of Tokyo is a renowned international harbor visited by large numbers of long-distance container ships from the U.S. and Europe, and is also a base port linked to other major domestic Japanese ports by regular service routes. The volume of foreign container cargo passing through the port continues to display particularly robust growth, and has made the Port of Tokyo Japan's largest handler of such cargo for five consecutive years.

The Port of Tokyo processes significantly large volumes of food, clothing, consumer electronics and other lifestyle-related cargo, underscoring its strong contribution to Japan as a commercial port.

The port also enjoys a superb geographical location adjacent to the major consumer market of the Greater Tokyo Area. In fact, 90 percent of Japan's imported container cargo is consumed in the capital area, while 80 percent of the nation's export cargo is shipped out from the same area.

As these statistics demonstrate, the Port of Tokyo has grown as an indispensable distribution base for the lives and industrial activity of the 40 million people in the Greater Tokyo Area.

	Incoming ship movements: 33,477 vessels
	Cargo volume handled: 82.52 million tons
	Trade value: 8.8541 trillion yen

Moving to Strengthen International Competitiveness

In recent years, Singapore, Hong Kong and other powerful Asian ports have gained in prominence, lowering the relative position of the Port of Tokyo and giving rise to complaints about its high costs and lagging service levels. This has prompted the Port of Tokyo to advance the following strategies, which aim to lower its port costs by 30 percent and achieve major reductions in cargo transit time:

	Efficient management of container terminals.
	The promotion of round-the-clock operation of container terminals.
	Shift to IT for port distribution information.
	Introduction of port use fee incentives, deregulation.

Tokyo Waterfront: Engine of Urban Invigoration

The Tokyo waterfront district lies close to the city center, encompasses Haneda Airport and the Port of Tokyo, provides access to Narita Airport and otherwise effectively supports convenient transportation over a wide area.

This coastal stretch is also blessed with precious waterfront space, vast areas of reclaimed land and other outstanding areas of development potential rarely found in existing urban areas.

Particularly impressive is the Waterfront Subcenter Area, the site of comprehensive urban development that strikes a fluid harmony between work, commercial activity, residential space, environmental protection and other richly varied functions.

This vision also embraces the promotion of tourism utilizing the ocean areas, canals and other resources as the Tokyo waterfront district continues to play a key role in the constant urban invigoration of the capital area.