No.97 Top 10 News of Inagi City in the First Year of Reiwa

First, looking back at last year, the biggest news was that His Majesty the Emperor of the Heisei era abdicated, and Crown Prince Naruhito ascended the throne on May 1, 2019, marking the change of the era name to Reiwa.

In happy news, in February of the first year of Reiwa, JAXA's Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully landed on the asteroid Ryugu, and in October of the first year of Reiwa, Akira Yoshino, an honorary fellow of Asahi Kasei who developed lithium-ion batteries, was selected for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

In sad news, a major fire broke out at Notre-Dame Cathedral in the center of Paris in April of the first year of Reiwa, causing the collapse of the 96-meter tall spire and most of the roof. In October of the first year of Reiwa, a fire at Shuri Castle in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, resulted in the destruction of eight buildings, including the main hall.
In the international political situation, although the second U.S.-North Korea summit was held in February 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the third summit took place in June 2019 at the Korean Peninsula's military demarcation line in Panmunjom, both ended in failure. In October 2019, North Korea conducted its first SLBM test launch in three years. Amid the uncertainty of the U.S.-China trade war, in September 2019, both governments activated the fourth round of retaliatory tariffs, and in November 2019, the United States notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the international framework for combating global warming, the Paris Agreement. Additionally, in December 2019, the Conservative Party led by Prime Minister Johnson won a majority in the UK House of Commons election, paving the way for Brexit. These events raise concerns about future instability in international relations.

Last year, sports continued to inspire us. In January of the first year of Reiwa, Naomi Osaka won the women's singles at the Australian Open and became the world number one. In June of the first year of Reiwa, Hakim Sani Brown set a new Japanese record of 9.97 seconds in the men's 100 meters final at the NCAA Championships. Rui Hachimura was the first Japanese player to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft and made a significant impact. In August of the first year of Reiwa, Hinako Shibuno won her first title at the Women's British Open in golf. In September of the first year of Reiwa, the Rugby World Cup was held in Japan for the first time in Asia, and the Japanese national team advanced to the quarter-finals with a perfect record in the group stage. In November of the first year of Reiwa, Samurai Japan won their first title by defeating South Korea in the Premier 12 international baseball tournament. Both men and women performed remarkably and achieved great results.

Next, we will look back on a year in Inagi City and announce the top 10 news stories.

1. Free Early Childhood Education and Care
   From October 2019, free services will be implemented for children aged 0 to 2 years in households exempt from resident tax for those aged 3 to 5.
2. 130th Anniversary of Inagi Village System Implementation
   Since the establishment of Inagi Village in June of the 22nd year of the Meiji era, it has developed from a town to a city without merging with other municipalities.
3. Birth of Hirao 4-chome
   With the completion of the Hirao Land Readjustment Project, an address organization was implemented, and a new town name was born.
4. Opening of Odayoshi Tunnel - Sakahama Hirao Line
   The road connects Sakahama from Kurihira, Kawasaki City, and Wakabadai from Shin-Yurigaoka.
5. The annual number of iBus passengers has exceeded 500,000
   Since the start of operations in 2002, the number of passengers has steadily increased, reaching approximately 526,000 people during the one-year period from April 2018 to March 2019.
6. One Year Test Event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Cycling (Road) Competition
   A test event will be held with the same content as the actual event. Preparations are underway for the main event.
7. Full application of the Local Public Enterprise Act at Inagi City Hospital
   To maintain stable management as a core regional hospital while responding quickly and flexibly, authority is delegated to Business Operators.
8. Establishment of a Life Support Service Base Utilizing Vacant Public Housing
   The development of a base utilizing the vacant space on the first floor of the Koyodai 6-chome housing complex is the first case in Tokyo.
9. Inagi Pair Park Opening and Creation of Tourism Resources through Design Manhole Cover Production
   In the Land Readjustment Project around Inagi-Naganuma Station, a park will be established in conjunction with the development of a pair terrace, and one of the five design manhole covers created as a tourism resource will be installed near the park.
10. Support Activities for Typhoons No. 15 and No. 19
    Due to the impact of Typhoon No. 15, a prolonged power outage occurred in the southern part of Chiba Prefecture, and relief supplies were transported to Kisarazu City, while staff were dispatched to Kimitsu City. A water supply vehicle was dispatched to Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, which experienced a large-scale water outage due to the flooding caused by Typhoon No. 19.

As a side note, in the mayoral election of April 2019, I was re-elected and entrusted with a third term. Additionally, in the city council election, six new council members were elected, slightly changing the composition of the council. Each of them will advance Community Development in Inagi City as representatives of the citizens.
The top 10 news stories of the first year of Reiwa are as follows. The kanji chosen for last year was "Rei." It is said that "Reiwa" carries the meaning of culture being born and nurtured as people beautifully come together. I pray that the second year of Reiwa, marking the beginning of a new era, will also be a year of new beginnings for all of you.