Akihabara News (Tokyo) — With legislation that makes it easier for cities to clear regulatory obstacles and to apply for government funding, Japan is coming closer to building technologically-advanced “super cities.”
On June 3, 2020, the Act to Amend the National Strategic Special Zone Act, nicknamed the “Super City Act,” was published in Japan’s official gazette.
Enacted in 2013, the National Strategic Special Zone Act established the National Strategic Special Zones, where regulatory reforms and other measures such as tax incentives are promoted for projects carried out jointly by the central government, local governments, and the private sector, with the aim of enhancing economic growth.
The 2020 amendment enables the government to create another National Strategic Special Zone that is referred to as a “super city.”
“Super city” has no clear definition, but Japan has used it to describe a city more technologically advanced than “smart” cities. Generally speaking, “smart” cities utilize high technology to provide services and maintenance.
The Japanese government’s internet television website states that super cities will change “our way of life and society itself by utilizing AI and big data,” and that in super cities “we can enjoy various cutting-edge services, such as autonomous cars, cashless payments, remote medical care, and distance education.”
The Prime Minister’s Office website cites various goals to be achieved through the implementation of super cities. One of them is the aim to realize the world’s safest and most secure society through disaster preparedness and crime prevention. This is slated to be achieved through the real-time notification of emergencies and hazards to residents in wide areas and promptly providing security and safety.
Initiatives also work towards maximizing the capacity of transportation and logistics infrastructure, improving convenience for citizens, and promoting industry through the provision of new mobility services such as MaaS (Mobility as a Service).
Super cities also aim to employ more efficient uses of energy, aiming for zero carbon emissions.
In the same vein of environmental consciousness, the super cities initiative pursues the world’s most effective recycling society.
In addition, super cities will create agricultural production and distribution bases that aim to ensure safety and high quality, with smart agriculture technologies including robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT).
The website additionally references a goal of infectious disease control and public health that will set a new world standard, which is of utmost importance during this time of the Covid pandemic. The action plan involves improving public health through infrastructure development and preventing the spread of infectious diseases through remote and touchless technologies.
The Covid pandemic also opened doors to online education, and the super cities initiative intends to refine this through expanding access to and improving the quality of education. This will be achieved through providing “inclusive and high-quality education that leaves no one left behind” by using Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
Not only does the super cities initiative plan to improve Japan through such local improvements, but also recognizes the benefits of tourism: revitalizing the local economy through tourism and the maximum utilization of tourism resources.
With several different strategies circulating, municipalities wishing to become super cities must discuss their specific plans with the central government and private companies, and win approval from local residents, before making an application to the National Strategic Zone Committee.
While the super city legislation suggests promise for smart business enterprises and advanced automation, there are concerns regarding privacy protection and data leaks.
Establishing a super city involves regulatory changes, including the implementation of data-linking platforms which will gather people’s personal information. The website of the Prime Minister’s Office describes this as “developing a cross-disciplinary data linkage platform all at once, along with drastic regulatory reforms.”
Some fear that this information could be misused to strengthen government or corporate surveillance.
Osaka is among the larger municipalities considering an application for super city status, in part to allow flying cars and drones to buzz around the site of the 2025 World Expo.
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