Tottori Prefectural Assembly’s September Session has closed and the supplementary budget has been approved. We will promptly implement the budget. During the session in September,
Tottori Prefecture was officially nominated as the venue for the International Manga Summit, and the San’in Coast Geopark was admitted into the Global Geopark Network, both of which were big news.
With a view to compiling the budget for the next fiscal year, we are scheduled to hold the budget compilation conference and policy strategy council next week. We would like to put into effect the
Budget Compilation System of Tottori Prefecture’s Style, in which the budget compilation will be much more based on policy debate sessions.
Today we began our project inventory in order to review the projects from the perspective of prefectural residents. By having prefectural residents join the discussion, we will try and implement more efficient projects and more effective policies.
On October 8, the national government’s plan related to the supplementary budget was approved by the cabinet. Economy and employment measures equivalent to more than 5 trillion yen were proposed, and the budget plan will soon be deliberated in the Diet. While monitoring the discussions on the supplementary budget, we will work concurrently on compiling our prefectural supplementary budget to present in November so that the effects can be achieved swiftly.
According to our estimates, the size of the supplementary budget to be proposed in November will need to exceed that presented in September, which amounted to 6.9 billion yen.
Recently, we and
Tottori City have joined forces to set up the preparatory office for establishment of the new nationalized Tottori University of Environmental Studies. From now, we will set up a conference with the participation of top management of the university and review the renewal plans for the university in detail, in order to obtain a consensus from the prefectural residents.
In order to celebrate the admission of the San’in Coast Geopark into the Global Geopark Network,
Tottori Prefecture is planning to co-host a commemorative conference with the San’in Geopark Promotion Council and other relevant parties.
We are planning to launch a prefectural preparatory conference for hosting the International Manga Summit around the end of October. For this conference, some renowned manga artists will visit
Tottori Prefecture from around the country. We will seize this opportunity and ask the artists to introduce and promote “
Food Capital Tottori Prefecture” through their manga comics.
Black bears are frequently seen (in residential areas) nationwide. As a result of the discussions with municipalities in the task force meeting of the liaison conference for countermeasures against harmful animals and birds, we confirmed that it would be beneficial to set up electric fences. In order to prevent damages, we are going to use various measures, such as the increase of prefectural subsidy rate upon municipalities’ installation of electric fences or sequential provision to municipalities of information obtained from the telemetries put on the captured bears upon releasing them.
In addition, we will proceed with surveys and analyses of the habitation situation of the bears and review the related preservation plans toward the next season.
I’m going to join the pep rally for the Tottori prefectural squad to participate in the Abilympics. In the weekend, the torch run will be held as a pre-event of the Special Olympics. In addition, fish-releasing events are planned in the
Togo Lake and Sakenotsu area (in central and eastern
Tottori Prefecture) with an eye to the National Rich Sea Creation Festival to be held next year (in
Tottori Prefecture).
We will make relevant deliberation while watching the development of this issue in the national political arena. In addition to employment measures, we are laying out measures for such matters as child welfare and societal wellness. With regard to public investment, while we are in the middle of negotiation with
Tokyo for expansion of the expressway construction projects, we think it necessary to increase public investment in our daily surroundings to a certain degree. The amount of the supplementary budget to be presented in November is expected to reach around 10 billion yen.
As a matter of fact, quite a number of opinions have been exchanged in the discussions up until now. This issue was also debated in the prefectural assembly’s June session, which led to the conclusion that the relevant assessment and review committee should be established by and between
Tottori Prefecture and
Tottori City. And as a result of the discussions there, it’s been decided that a joint organization will be launched with a view to the drastic renewal of the university, including its nationalization. This is not a final decision. We are still at the reviewing stage and we will collect and consider the opinions of the prefectural assembly and residents in order to draw up the policy.
(After the reporter’s mentioning that some cautious opinions were presented on this issue in the standing committee of the prefectural assembly,) Quite a few people are expressing their strong desire for Gainare Tottori to be promoted to the J-League (Japan Professional Football League). In terms of sending information through the means of sports or encouraging sound growth of youth, for example, such support is expected to bring lots of advantages. So the amount of the investment we are planning to implement is within an appropriate range, I think. Having said that, we will request that Gainare’s side fulfill their managerial responsibility and accountability.