Mayor of Takaoka City Masaki Takahashi

A Happy New Year! I am glad from the bottom of my heart that you the citizens must have welcome the New Year lively with all your family members.

Last year is the memorial year, the 400th Anniversary of Takaoka. Many citizens participated in memorial events of each area and each field in the City of Takaoka and there were various events that made the best use of each history, tradition, culture and local originality. As the main event, "Takaoka Kaicho Matsuri (Town Opening Festival)" was held, mainly on September 13th when the Load Toshinaga Maeda entered the Takaoka Castle, the memorial ceremony was carried out on 12th and a grand parade to the Castle on 13th. We could celebrate the 400th Anniversary welcoming 230000 visitors from inside and outside of the City.

The construction of Hokuriku Bullet Train which had been a dream for years has been started in total 9 work zones of Takaoka City by last December. Toward the business starting in 2014, the Bullet Train is finally beginning to appear as a reality. Aiming at the business starting of the Bullet Train, we will develop the access to the New Takaoka Station (temporary name) and the neighborhood, and carry forward the improvement suitable for "the front door of 860000 people in Hi-etsu-no, and at the same time we think of improving the charm of Takaoka, tying organically "Takaoka's highlights" such as the national treasure Zuiryu-ji Temple, the Tomb of Toshinaga Maeda, Takaoka Daibutsu, Kanaya-machi Street and earthen storehouses. And in the present Takaoka Station, the building of the station on the bridge has been almost completed and possible to be used from December 12th last year. Elevators and escalators have been installed and the movement to each platform has become easy and the station has become very easy to use by the wide and bright passage. The free passage between north and south will have been possible to use by the end of 2011 and walkers will have been easily able to come and go between the front and the south of the station. In 2012, there will be started the construction of the traffic square and others in order to improve the convenience for mutual change between JR Line and Manyo Line.

Meeting the starting time of the new century, Takaoka will take a step toward a leap. The City will be one of the important points of traffic opened to Japan Sea Ring (Kan-Nihonkai), linked closely with 3 biggest city areas, by Toyama Airport, Fushiki Toyama Port, Noetu Expressway and Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway from north to south, JR Hokuriku Line and Hokuriku Expressway from east to west and plus Hokuriku Bullet Train. Making the best use of this location, by wide-area tourism and company invitation, activating rapidly the exchange of people, products and information, and the City aims at creating "Active Hometown Takaoka", making the citizens' energy concentrated on the 400th Anniversary memorial events into the driving force for new local development

For local development, the City will put into practice one by one the 5 town-projects that I emphasis on, that is, "creation of local industry" "environmentally consciousness" "cooperation of wide area" "development of people's power" and "safety and security". For creation of local industry, by supporting consistently the companies' needs such as technique, competent persons, funds and market-finding, the City will create and educate new industries and Takaoka brand, and try to activate local economy.

For corporation of wide area, with setting up the wide sightseeing area focusing the west district of the prefecture, making the model route for tourists and conveying it to the metropolitan area, the City would like to fix the sightseeing route to Hi-etsu-no district starting Takaoka.

And the City would like to carry forward "local development by history and culture", by succession and use of the local history and culture recognized again in the 400th Anniversary and new culture creation. For it, the City will wrestle aiming at the recognition of the so-called "Historical City" based on the law concerning historical local development.

Further, the whole members of the City Hall will wrestle with the subjects familiar to the citizens such as welfare, medical service and education. And we try to do the open and effective administration cooperating with you, so please help us more than ever.

The City has begun "Fureai Talk" since last August, in which I talk directly with people of various fields over familiar themes and "Wagamachi Talk (Talk about our town)" since November that I go to every district and talk with the citizens. From now on, I'm looking forward to visiting as many districts and institutions as possible and exchanging opinions with you.

In the end, I finish my New Year greeting by wishing you this year will be a good one for all of you and praying for your health and happiness.