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| 1. Japan’s First Special Economic Zone ─ Kobe |
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Suzuki created and published the Special Economic Zone Plan in cooperation with the high rank officers of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Economic Planning Agency, and Ministry of Construction.
On the very day when the Hanshin-Awaji Great Earthquake occurred, Suzuki proposed this plan to Kobe Mayor Mr. Sasayama and Hyogo Governor Mr. Kaibara. The plan was announced in newspapers as a post-earthquake initiative. |
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In 1994, Suzuki conceptualized a plan to integrate seaport, airport, and telecommunications services as a communication hub, and to encourage the relevant local governments to operate the hub. In order to promote foreign investments into potential hubs in Japan, Suzuki began to discuss the matter with related ministers of the Singapore government. |
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The key point of the Special Economic Zone was the possible transfer of the container transit service of 400 million TEUs from Hong Kong to Kobe port once the port rehabilitation was completed. Before the return of Hong Kong to China, Suzuki negotiated with the
representative of Hutchison Group, the world’s top port operator.
He showed interest in doing so, provided that all stevedoring management at Kobe port would be entrusted to his company.
Mayor Sasayama could not give a positive reply to Suzuki.
Kobe did not join the competition to obtain the container cargo handling at Hong Kong port, in which Singapore’s PSA was also involved, which was the world second largest port. Pusan in Korea, and the new port that the Korean government was planning to construct succeeded to win the contract. |
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After this, the US government imposed sanctions on Japan.
Suzuki attended the 1st Ministerial conference of WTO held in Singapore in December 1996 as a member of the Japanese delegation, and talked with some members in the WTO meeting about the possibility of investing into Japan to upgrade port and airport operation services and telecommunication services in Japan.
Through the WTO conference, US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky suggested to Suzuki that if the Kobe city government were to allow the privatization of stevedoring services, sanctions by the United States would be avoided. Upon her suggestion, Suzuki continued negotiating with Hutchison. |
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| References: |
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| List of the Enterprise Zone Research Committee (1995) |
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| Newspaper articles on “Special Economic Zone in Kobe” (1995) |
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The General Concept of the Special Economic Zone in Kobe to invite foreign investments
- Functional zoning containing the complexes of shops, restaurants, entertainment centers and port operation services
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November 1995: Post Earthquake Redevelopment Plan
Japanese / English
The contents of the “Special Economic Zone” and “Enterprise Zone” as the important pillars of post-earthquake rehabilitation plan, and the negotiations for the plan implementation.
Proposal to Chairperson Shimokobe of the Government Rehabilitation Committee.
Plan to invite Chinese entrepreneurs (Britain, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Taiwan) to invest in Japan, including the draft plan for the transfer of “Newton Circus” as a core facility.
Japanese / English |
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| Promotion Structure for the Project (Japanese) |
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| Activities and outcomes in the past several years in an effort to increase hub potential of Japan
(Speech at the Okinawa Development Finance Corp. March 1998)
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| Overseas consortium organized by Super Studio focusing on hub business support in Japan. Background chart of the development project implemented by the consortium and Japanese counterpart corporations. |
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| Letter from US Trade Representative Barshefsky, July 1997, in favor of our proposals and activities to enhance the capacity of Japanese ports into hubs in Asia, and to avoid sanctions against the restrictiveness of Japanese ports. |
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| Letter by the representative of Hutchison Group, the world’s top port
operator, October 1996, conveying his interest in making investment in Kobe
port operations as a whole in response to Suzuki’s approach. |
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| Chart and Study Procedures for the Feasibility Study for Investments by PSA and Cheung Kong to Japanese ports (Kobe, etc.) |
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| Feasibility study on the investments to Kobe Port Island and others by Chinese entrepreneurs, March 1996 |
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| Proposal for making investments in the Kobe Enterprise Zone, October 1995 |
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| Proposal for making investments in the Kobe Enterprise Zone, October 1995, an appeal by Suzuki and advisor Karatsu at the WTO cabinet minister conference |
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| Suzuki attended the 1st WTO cabinet minister conference held in Singapore in December 1996, and invited delegates to promote investments in upgrading the ports, airports and communications in Japan. |
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| Security Pass of the WTO Japanese Delegation members |
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| Participated in the 1st WTO cabinet minister conference as a member of the Japanese delegation. Called for investment in making Japan a communication hub, and promoted relevant negotiations. |
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| World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention as a member of the Singapore delegation |
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| Suzuki attended the 4th and 5th biennial conventions of the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention held in Vancouver, 1997 and Melbourne, 1999 to approach members for making investments to Japan in order to upgrade Japan’s potential to serve as a communication hub. |
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2. “Merry Downtown Centers” (Shopping + Amusement Complexes) by inviting investments from
Singapore and other countries in Asia. |
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There is one thing that Japanese consumers have not enjoyed. It is a space for the masses with an international dynamism that provides individual consumers with the excitement of shopping, eating and having fun.
An effective way to create such a space is to introduce expertise or investments from abroad. Expertise, or competence, is closely connected with the strength of port operations (“hub power” or “hub potential) of a city or a country. This strength cannot be acquired only with relaxing the existing restrictions or providing incentives to the construction of facilities. It is important that the space offers a high level of entertainment with warm hospitality and pleasantness. |
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Singapore has “Hawkers,” the traditional food stand center, and its Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) seeks to establish the port as a “Leisure and Business Hub,” and invites private corporations that support the government initiative. |
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Considering that it is essential to introduce these functions to Japan, Super Studio has approached potential investors in Singapore and British-Hong Kong companies in Hong Kong to make investments in Japan, such as the Port Island Phase II in Kobe, and Kita-Kyushu (PSA), Tokyo Station Yaesu District Redevelopment, Shiodome Development and others. |
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The concept of “Leisure and Business Hub” will be applied to the forthcoming development projects at the “Yokohama Minato Mirai Area,” and other development projects for shopping complexes and downtown districts implemented by major manufacturers and retailers. |
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| 3. Urban Development Project with the theme of Space Development |
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At the beginning of the 1990s, Suzuki proposed a project plan for the site in Sasajima in Nagoya, a site of the former Japan National Railways under the management of JR Settlement Corp. He conceived the idea to make use of technological resources in the Chubu and Tokai regions, and negotiated with the Space Development Department of the USSR government, and the Japan Space Exploration agency to invite "International Space School" and business by introducing the spaceship "Mir."
He planned to purchase the "Mir," the world's first manned spaceship at a low price and to bring it to this project site to initiate a business.
Unfortunately, the plan was not realized because too many parties with interests were involved on the project site.However, now that Japan has come out of the long recession, the concept of urban development with the theme of space development is still valid.
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Japanese
