Nagano Matsumoto City and Aichi Ichinomiya City Request for core city designation from Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications July 29, 16:22
While the mayors of Matsuno City in Nagano Prefecture and Ichinomiya City in Aichi Prefecture visited the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, aiming for the transition to a core city from April next year, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Takashi requested the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications to designate the city as a core city. Said that he would proceed with the procedure toward designation.
Visiting the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications was Mayor Yoshihisa Matsumo and Mayor Masayasu Nakano of Ichinomiya City, who met with Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Takaichi on the afternoon of 29th and asked for designation as a core city.
In response, Minister Takaichi responded, "Based on the offer, we will proceed with the procedure toward designation as a core city."
When a city with a population of 200,000 or more is designated by the national government, many administrative authorities such as the establishment of public health centers and the approval of the installation of special elderly nursing homes are transferred from the prefectures to the core cities.
Both cities are aiming to move from April 1st next year, and when these cities are designated, the number of core cities in Japan will be 62.
After the visit, the mayors held a press conference, and Mayor of Matsumoto city said, "The spread of the infection has spread the impetus to rethink Tokyo's concentration and centralized government. As a core city, it will become an autonomous decentralized society. I want to have the will to play a leading role in changing."
Mayor Nakano of Ichinomiya City said, "Although the severe situation of the new coronavirus infection has continued to be severe, we would like to make citizens feel the significance of the core city by establishing their own public health center."