October 2009

Ceremony Held to Commemorate the Establishment of Kyoto as a Municipality.

26 October 2009

When it was established in 1889, Kyoto suffered from restrictions on its autonomy because of the national political climate, and it did not have its own mayor and city hall. Motivated to support their own local government, the citizens of Kyoto actively engaged in a movement to seek the right of self-government and, in 1898, they finally achieved the appointment of the first mayor of Kyoto, and the opening of the city hall. This event is celebrated on the 15th of October.
Every year, a ceremony is held to commemorate the founding of the municipality, and testimonials are bestowed on citizens who have made significant contributions to development of the city. This year, the Kyoto Medal of Honor was awarded to Mitsuko MORI, an actor. Special Achievement Awards were awarded to Shunpei UEYAMA , the former president of Kyoto City University of Arts, Kuroemon KATAYAMA, a Noh actor of Shite-kata Kanze school, and the late Ryouhei HIROSE, a former director of Kyoto Concert Hall. A total of 723 people and 413 groups were honored.
For further details, call the Kyoto City Secretariat Section 075-222-3066

Mayor Kadokawa Attended an Omusubi Meeting with Citizens at the Kyoto City Zoo

19 October 2009

On October 9th, an "Omusubi" meeting was held in Kyoto City Zoo in Okazaki, Sakyo ward, in which Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa had direct discussions with people in Kyoto.

"Omusubi" meetings are a way for the Mayor to actively join various grass-roots activities, listen to the voices of the people and discuss the future of Kyoto.
At this meeting, the Mayor exchanged ideas with the members of the "We Love the Zoo! Citizens Alliance" who participated in workshops to develop a future vision of the zoo, as well as members of a group called "The 100-Member Committee to Create the Future of Kyoto" who also discussed the zoo.
The participants gave presentations about the results of their recent activities and suggested ways in which the zoo could be improved in the future. The Mayor stated that he was grateful for the serious discussions held by people from a wide range of backgrounds, and said he would like to further develop the zoo as an attraction in cooperation with the citizens of Kyoto.
The Kyoto city government will continue to hold "Omusubi" meetings about once a month to actively receive input about the opinions of people of Kyoto and benefit from their expertise, as well as incorporate their ideas into city government operations.
For further details, call the Kyoto City Citizen Cooperation Section 075-222-3178


Increase in the Childbirth and Child Care Allowance from the Kyoto City National Health Insurance Scheme

13 October 2009

From October 1st, the childbirth support system of the Kyoto City National Health Insurance was expanded to reduce the financial burden of childbirth on parents. The allowance provided when a mother delivers a baby after four months of pregnancy was increased from 380,000yen to 420,000yen. However, if the hospital is not insured under the obstetric health care system, the allowance is 390,000yen.
If an application is made at a hospital or clinic, the amount to be paid for the delivery expenses is the only difference calculated by subtracting the actual delivery expense from the allowance for childbirth and child care (note that there are exceptions at some hospitals).
If the amount for the allowance exceeds the delivery expenses, it may be possible to receive the difference by submitting a claim to the Insurance and Pension Section in ward offices or branch offices.
For further details, call the Insurance and Pension Section 075-213-5861
People insured under schemes other than the Kyoto National Health Insurance Scheme should contact their health insurance provider.


Debriefing Session Held for the 100-Member Committee to Create the Future of Kyoto

5 October 2009

On September 26, a debriefing session of the 100-Member Committee to Create the Future of Kyoto was held, and the Committee reported their activities for this year. The Committee was inaugurated in September 2008, with citizens from wide variety of fields including business persons, students and civil rights activists. They formed 13 groups for respective themes such as traffic problems, hospitality for tourists, and development of social welfare. Furthermore, they also discussed ideas for the future of Kyoto as if starting from a blank slate, and actively conducted site inspections and interviews.
In the debriefing session, the results of their activities were reported in the form of proposals for the city government, companies and civil organizations in Kyoto among others, and the respective groups presented their own future action plans. The Kyoto city government intends to swiftly utilize these suggestions and plans, and take feasible action.
Kyoto is now recruiting committee members for the coming year who will work with the current 100 or so members.
For details including how to apply, please contact the Kyoto Citizen Cooperation Section 075-222-3178.