Tokyo Governor’s Mideast Tour Highlights Multi-City Resilience Efforts and Japanese Capital’s Global Presence

Keynote Speech at the Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayors’ Forum (APCS) in Dubai

Signing a Bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai

Manga Workshop Led by Takahashi Yoichi, Creator of Captain Tsubasa, at the “Come Discover the Culture of Tokyo” Event in Dubai

Fireside Chat at the 9th Future Investment Initiative (FII9) in Riyadh

Bilateral Meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Cairo

TOKYO, JAPAN, November 28, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has used her Middle East tour to step up her call for multi-city efforts to tackle the climate crisis and other challenges. She also promoted the Japanese capital city’s global presence as a hub of finance, innovation and influence.

Takahashi Yoichi, the Japanese creator of the soccer-themed globally popular comic and animation series “Captain Tsubasa,” accompanied the governor on part of the four-nation trip as she pitched for investment in Tokyo's　 content industry.

On invitations from national governments and a global non-profit foundation, the governor spoke at international conferences and met with influential figures in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt. She is a former member of parliament now in her ninth year as the first female chief executive of Tokyo.

“Going forward, we’d like to continue firmly promoting Tokyo‘s startups and various other businesses to countries and regions around the world,” Governor Koike told a news conference back home, summing up her October 25 to November 3 tour.

“We will deepen our collaboration with other cities towards addressing common challenges such as disaster preparedness and urban resilience enhancement,” she said. "I believe that firmly establishing Tokyo’s presence worldwide is an important role to fulfill."

In the UAE city of Dubai, she lectured at a summit of Asia and Pacific city leaders to push for multi-city resilience efforts and build a more sustainable future. At a high-profile investment forum in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, the governor highlighted Tokyo’s business and investment opportunities, incubation of startup ventures and soft power led by the cream of the crop manga and anime (comics and animation).

At the state-run　Kuwait　University, Governor Koike retraced a range of her initiatives, particularly on women’s empowerment and childcare and child-rearing. She attended　the　official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum near Cairo before wrapping up her fifth official overseas trip of the year reinforcing the strategy to establish Tokyo as a leading global city.

Cities Stand ‘on the Front Line’ of Solving Risks Facing People
“This is the time for cities to demonstrate leadership,” Governor Koike said in a keynote speech at the Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayors’ Forum in Dubai on October 27. She said national governments face trade and other multilateral issues so much so that they may find it not easy to address natural disasters and other challenges directly facing people.

“Cities, which stand on the front line, are able to find solutions to the various crises and disaster risks looming over us, and protect citizens who are struggling around us,” said the governor. “Sharing and learning from each other’s strengths can also help us accelerate our response to risks.“ She added that the Japanese capital can share its anti-flood knowhow and other measures with other cities. ”Tokyo is fully committed to providing cooperation.”

Intercity collaboration against common crises has emerged as a key talking point on Governor Koike’s overseas tours. While on a speaking tour of Washington D.C. and New York City in July, the governor repeatedly proposed “multicity lateral cooperation” in tackling pressing challenges. She has coined the term on the basis of “multilateralism,” an established concept of coordination among nations to achieve common goals.

To create a resilient and sustainable city, her administration has been implementing the Tokyo Resilience Project since 2022. It is designed to protect the megacity of 14 million residents from increasingly severe and frequent floods and storms, both blamed on climate change, as well as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, power/communications outages and the spread of a new infectious disease. As part of the project, the metropolitan government has been developing a network of underground “regulating reservoirs” as a mechanism to temporarily store floodwater before diverting it to the sea.

On the sidelines of the city leaders’ summit, Governor Koike and Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary-General of Dubai’s Executive Council, signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote collaboration in infrastructure, transport, urban resilience, and digital transformation. Dubai became the 16th city to enter into arrangements, including MoUs and joint communiqués, for exchanges and cooperation with Tokyo.

A network of the world’s cities on common urban challenges was already independently launched by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 2022. Named the Global City Network for Sustainability (G-NETS), its forum has been held in conjunction with the SusHi Tech Tokyo (Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo), which has grown into　Asia’s largest global innovation conference.

Soft Power of Manga and Anime Attracts Investors
In a panel discussion at the 9th Future Investment Initiative (FII9) conference in Riyadh on October 28, Governor Koike appeared onstage with “Captain Tsubasa” creator Takahashi. She said she intends to help expand Tokyo’s entertainment and creative sectors by attracting investments, and reinvigorate “cultural tourism.”

The decades-long comic and animation series on soccer heroism, known as “Captain Majid” in Arabic-speaking countries, has inspired generations of soccer superstars worldwide like Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta. It has reportedly sold more than 90 million manga copies worldwide.

“The content industry has grown into a global market worth 900 billion (US) dollars. And attracting significant attention as a major growth sector,” the governor said. “Within this vast marketplace, the key challenge now lies in how effectively Japan can elevate its international presence and take the lead.”

Mr. Takahashi noted that his series has extended far beyond print and television, and seen “success in various ventures derived from the work, including games, or merchandizing … or collaboration with the football team or the national team.　And I am grateful that it comes from the big love for the characters in the story.”

Women’s Empowerment, Tokyo’s Financial Might in the Spotlight
The Future Investment Initiative (FII)—dubbed “Davos in the Desert” after the annual World Economic Forum held in the Swiss resort—is a platform for heads of state, government leaders, investors, policymakers, CEOs and innovators worldwide. It is organized by the Saudi-backed non-profit FII Institute.

At the FII “Fireside Chat” session, the governor —reaffirmed her support for women’s empowerment. She served as Japan’s first female defense minister in 2007 after heading the environmental ministry 2003-2006.

She pointed out that women make up half of the country’s population as “greatest untapped energy.” Noting Takaichi Sanae’s appointment as Japan’s first female prime minister in late October, the governor said: ”Together with Prime Minister Takaichi, I am confident that the national government will advance this cause, propelling Japan’s economy to new heights.”

She also underlined Tokyo's strong potential as an international financial hub. The metropolitan government issued the world’s first internationally certified “resilience bonds” in the international markets in late October to finance projects that improve Tokyo’s resilience to climate-related disasters.

“Tokyo will become a leader in Sustainable and Resilient Finance by providing financial support to build a strong, sustainable society,“ Governor Koike said.

Promoting Ties with Kuwait and Egypt
Delivering a lecture on October 30 at Kuwait University, where women make up 70 percent of students, she touched on Tokyo’s forward-looking initiatives including promotion of women into leadership roles, support for the process from partner selection to child-rearing, and environmental protection measures such as decarbonization and green-energy generation.

She also recalled Kuwait’s “heartfelt support” for areas devasted by the massive earthquake and tsunami along the Pacific Coast in northeastern Japan in 2011. The Kuwaiti government donated 500 million US dollars’ worth of crude oil. Funds generated from this oil were distributed to reconstruction projects including restoration of damaged railways. The governor said the donation was made after she replied, “Just a drop of oil,” when Kuwait’s ambassador in Tokyo asked her, “What can we offer?” ”Kuwait and Japan have a long-standing bond of friendship.”

In Kuwait City, Governor Koike also visited the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) with Tokyo-based startups specializing in water, materials, and energy, promoting Tokyo's unique technology and exploring business opportunities.

On November 1, the last full day of her stay in the Arab region, Governor Koike joined Princess Akiko and other Japanese dignitaries at the inaugural opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum. As the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization, it showcases over 100,000 artifacts including King Tut’s collection. The museum located near the pyramids of Giza has been built with substantial Japanese technical and financial contributions.

In Cairo, the governor held talks with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, in which she underscored the broad scope of cooperation between Egypt and Japan and noted the successful partnership between Tokyo and Cairo under a 35-year-old friendship-city framework. According to Egyptian media, the prime minister praised Japan’s contributions to what he described as a “monumental cultural gift from Egypt to the world.”　Governor Koike also met Governor of Cairo Ibrahim Saber Khalil　in the Egyptian capital.

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