After the collapse of the bubble economy in 1990, Japan has closed its doors to other countries for the past two decades. In order to internationalize the current systems and to direct Japan to open its doors, a non-partisan group formulated the bill for Basic Economic Hub Development Act.

The non-partisan group was organized by Suzuki in 2002. Based on this group, six meetings were held from 2008 to 2010 with Minister of Finance Noda as the chief.

In 2009, most of the members were appointed as ministers, vice-ministers and parliamentary secretaries.

The proposed Economic Hub aims to exclude conventional customs and restrictions which have been prevented Japan from opening its doors to other countries, and to create new systems. Beginning with the liberalization of ports, airports, and investments, the manufacturing and service industries in general will be opened without exceptions, so that Japan can be developed into an Economic Hub.

To promote this plan, the Economic Special Zone (Enterprise Zone System) which was proposed after the Hanshin Awaji Earthquake was noted again. In order to obtain cooperation from the Singapore government as a leader of hub development, the organization of a bilateral high level organization was studied. (Consultation with Minister Mah Bow Tan in 2008.)

The establishment of Economic Special Zones is a way to activate foreign investments to Japan. As concrete examples, a Financial Center and IR business will be introduced.

After the East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, Suzuki convened a non-partisan Rehabilitation meeting. As the conclusion of the three meetings, the proposal for establishing “Economic Special Zones (Rehabilitation Special Zones) was submitted to the government.
The proposal was adopted by the government. Further, Four Rehabilitation Special Zones were proposed.

One of the proposed special zones, “Eco-City + Automobile-related New Industries Special Zone” was adopted by the government in the name of the “Smart Village” project.

The proposed Four Special Zones will be promoted by laws drafted by the Economic Hub Development group, the members of which are identical with the members of the Rehabilitation meeting. (attached document)

The members of the non-partisan Rehabilitation Meeting, 4 Rehabilitation Special Zones proposal, Economic Hub Development Promotion group, are MPs who are most prospective politicians. They are expected to take responsibilities in the new government to be formed in September after Prime Minister Kan.
* MP Noda (Minister of Finance) and MP Maehara (fomer Minister for Foreign Affairs) are expected as the next party leader and prime minister.

The ultimate goal of the non-partisan team, the team of young and middle standing members of the Democratic Party, and Minister Noda is to redevelop Japan in accordance with the growth strategy by the Economic Hub Development Promotion group. The introduction of IR in Japan will mean to lead the growth strategy which symbolizes the opening of Japan, rather than to promote the tourism or resort industries.

This IR introduction will be implemented as the flagship for rehabilitation, along with the Eco-City Development, at the most promising site in Tokyo (Daiba, Tokyo Bay) as the “First Street / First City” of opened Japan.

For the Eco-City (Smart Village) development in the disaster area, and the Flagship project in Tokyo, we consider to ask the National Development Department of Singapore which is sponsoring the Tianjin Eco-City project, for cooperation. Also for the introduction of IR, we are asking the Singapore government for its cooperation.
These projects will be put into implementation under the new government and MP Noda and MP Maehara.

*1)　 For legislating IR introduction to Japan, a bill was prepared by Issei Koga as the chairperson of the Parliamentary League for Casino and more than 100 MPs expressed their agreement. Both Issei Koga(DPJ), and the former chairperson of the League, Takeshi Iwaya (LDP) are members of Suzuki group.
The bill will be submitted to the Extraordinary Session (in September).
Suzuki considers that he will obtain support from the Singapore government to amend the contents of the bill modeling after the pertinent laws in Singapore.

*2)　This project will be linked with the “Redevelopment Project in Daiba in Tokyo Bay” which was registered as a General Policy Special Zone by the Prime Minister’s Office. The developers of this redevelopment project are the Tokyo Metropolitan Office, an automobile manufacturer and a major developer.

This Daiba Redevelopment Project will be promoted with the support of the　laws on the “Rehabilitation Special Zone Incentives” proposed by our non-partisan group and on the “General Policy Special Zone Incentives” proposed by our Economic Hub Development group and approved by the government.

At the same time, as the First Street of Opened Japan, the introduction of a business complex (IR operations) will be studied to enable the mobilization of foreign investments.

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* Process of the “General Policy Special Zone Legislation”
by the Japanese government by Suzuki group

As a new growth strategy of Japan, we planned and implemented the legislation in order to stimulate economic rehabilitation of Japan. Under the proposal, preferential treatments are applied in the Enterprise Zone, and foreign investments in amount of 1 billion yen will be mobilized.
The members of the “Economic Hub Development Promotion Group” are currently serving as ministers, vice ministers, parliamentary secretaries.

Later, the structure for the Enterprise Zone that Suzuki conceived as a redevelopment site at Daiba, Tokyo Bay (attached) was followed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, an automobile manufacturing company, a developer company of Daiba, and they applied their portions to the Prime Minister’s Office.(attached) The applications were approved.

In the meanwhile, Osaka prefecture (Governer Hashimoto) and other local governments, quasi-public corporations, private companies submitted their applications (for IR business), but their applications were turned down.