YOKOHAMA PLANS TO MARK NEW CENTURY
WITH MAJOR SPORTS EVENTS

Yokohama City - January 9, 1997 --- Mr. Hidenobu Takahide, Mayor of the City of Yokohama, is determined to ensure that Japan's leading port City will host some of the key matches of the 2002 World Cup Soccer.

He sees securing these key global events as part of an ambitious overall plan to further enhance Yokohama's reputation as a culturally-advanced international city of the future.

With its well-developed urban infrastructure, established sports and cultural facilities and excellent communications links, Yokohama is ideally placed to be the venue of major world events.

Mayor Takahide spelled out his plans for Yokohama in his New Year message in which he noted the changes in the life of the City's 3.3 million citizens as the 21st century approaches.

These changes have been influenced by:

• the rapid rise of the nations of East Asia to leadership positions in the world economy;
• the revolution in communications, with people having instant access to information through their PCs and the Internet;
• changing family values, decreasing birth rate, graying population and more women in the workplace; and
• people taking more interest in the activities of non-profit organizations (NPOs) and participating in voluntary activities.

These changes have influenced Mayor Takahide's administration to focus on three key words: regional, community and individuals and to base its policies on these vital areas:

1. Safety, assurance and stability - with stronger emergency control measures, improved assistance for the aged and for families, upgraded City welfare and medical services and education and more comprehensive environmental measures including waste recycling and measures to conserve energy and resources.
2. Putting in place a comprehensive strategy to build on Yokohama's established reputation as an open international city by attracting more cultural and sports events (such as matches of the 2002 World Cup Soccer to be hosted by Japan and Korea ).
3. Reforming the City's administration through strategic medium and long-term plans to build a stronger foundation for Yokohama's financial and administrative commitment to its citizens. Currently, Yokohama is developing a new five-year administrative blueprint, the "Yumehama 2010 Plan."

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