Office of Governor KAWAKATSU Heita

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Last year, the world experienced soaring inflation rates from dramatic shifts in the international landscape and more frequent and severe natural disasters. Meanwhile, Covid-19 restrictions were lifted last year, restoring a sense of normalcy in our social and economic activities. Shizuoka Prefecture proudly bore the title of Culture City of East Asia, a yearlong initiative for peace to represent Japan as the cultural capital. We were able to share our culture with the prominent feature of Mount Fuji as we celebrated the 10th anniversary of its designation as a World Cultural Heritage site. The year ended successfully, and I offer my deepest gratitude to the people of our prefecture for your cooperation and strong commitment to peace.

This year, we will continue our efforts to implement the latter half of our FY 2022-2025 action plan. We hope our seeds sprout, bloom into flowers, and bear fruit so that the people of Shizuoka can truly experience the results of these measures, and that our prefecture is better positioned for years to come.

Ten years have passed since washoku, the traditional Japanese dietary culture was inscribed as the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Food culture brings peace, and under this belief, we have been promoting gastronomy tourism in collaboration with tour operators, food producers, chefs, and culinary experts to offer visitors unique and compelling experiences on Shizuoka's culinary traditions and cultural heritage linked with food. We hope this undertaking would attract more visitors and enhance our regional appeal. Another important initiative that began last year is the Gold Road project, which encourages extensive travel across central Japan's four prefectures of Niigata, Nagano, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka. We also look forward to the special 20th year anniversary floral expo: Lake Hamana HANAHAKU2024 this year.

Securing human resources is vital for our communities to remain sustainable into the future. Various work styles and lifestyles have been embraced in recent years, and more people are weighing in on the importance of spacious and comfortable housing options. For this, Shizuoka has become a popular prefecture to live for young families. We will continue to work with our cities and towns to offer inviting living spaces and encourage diverse work styles to attract more people moving to and living in Shizuoka.

Rapid digitalization spurred by the Covid pandemic, initiatives to decarbonize, population decline, and the population disparity between urban and rural areas present business opportunities, and startups have emerged to tackle these societal challenges. We are fully committed to fostering innovation and embracing a risk-taking culture, as well as providing opportunities where aspirational startups can achieve their dreams in our prefecture. 

Good physical health builds confidence and a positive outlook, and we hope all people enjoy sports throughout their lives. We will work to establish a comprehensive sporting industry that links sports with health, food, medical care, and tourism.

Disaster preparedness and emergency management will always be a top priority for our prefecture. Together with the national and municipal governments and first responder entities, we will strengthen our efforts to call out and monitor improperly built soil mounds, raise awareness for self-help and enhance community-led support capabilities to minimize damage from the anticipated Nankai Trough earthquake, and build resilience through effective flood control and river basin improvements.

The people and natural resources of Shizuoka Prefecture have proudly been recognized internationally, and we believe our prefecture is worthy to represent Japan. An ideal Japan is taking shape here. Building on the triumph of the Culture City of East Asia 2023 Shizuoka, let us together, with vigour and confidence, create a beautiful and great land of Fuji.