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Urban Development and Global Health

Aoyama: Many people may wonder: “Why is the MORI Building sponsoring GHIT?” I understand that the answer is not immediately obvious.

We first heard about GHIT’s work on accelerating innovation for infectious diseases in the developing world, prior to its founding, our interest was piqued. GHIT’s aspiration to become a hub that connects various companies and organizations in Japan and worldwide demonstrated such creativity in its business and partnership models. It was also clear that GHIT was attempting to engage in extremely dynamic activities. The significance of this effort to support the creation of new drugs by utilizing Japan’s innovation to help patients suffering from infectious diseases in developing countries strongly resonated with us.

Communicating a message from Tokyo to the world

Aoyama: Since its establishment, GHIT’s headquarters has been located in the Sengokuyama Mori Tower within our ARK Hills complex. In addition to using our offices, GHIT has held several Annual Partners Meetings for their partners at our Roppongi Academy Hills forum facility. GHIT also uses the Roppongi facility for public education and engagement events. We have enthusiastically supported these events, and we truly sense the significance of these activities as we observe the diverse range of nationalities among the attendees and their strong interest and passion in the issues presented.

The 2016 Annual Partners Meeting left a particularly strong impression on me. One of the speakers was a clinician from Africa who brought to life the problem of local infectious diseases in his region. It was shocking to hear that infectious diseases that are almost unheard of in Japan are damaging the health and taking the lives of so many children. At the same time, as a citizen of Japan, I felt proud that experts from Africa, which is far away from Japan, and Japanese researchers were collaborating to develop vaccines and drugs using Japanese technologies and expertise. I also meant a lot to see Japan leading and participating in global initiatives.

It is highly significant that MORI Building facilities are being used as venues where people gather to tackle global issues. I believe that creating more attractive venues and opportunities and proactively reinforcing the message that Tokyo is an international city will further improve the brand image of Japan.

Accelerating urbanization and countermeasures for infectious diseases

Hirano: GHIT’s second five-year phase is closely aligned with an important period of urban redevelopment for us, particularly in Tokyo’s Toranomon Hills neighborhood. We see our partnership with GHIT making an impact on such endeavors.

Globalization and urbanization are 21st century facts of life. The influx and rapid movement of people in and out of Tokyo and other cities around the world is likely to pick up speed. Therefore, we need to constantly keep in mind the risk of infectious diseases. As was the case with the dengue fever outbreak in Tokyo a few years ago, once an infectious disease spreads throughout an urban area, it greatly affects the daily life of people. Considering the fact that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will result in even more people from within and outside Japan visiting the city, we may be able to take special action from the security and safety points of view. Although there are limits to what we as a single company can do, we consider it vital that we develop countermeasures against the risk of urban infectious diseases as quickly as possible and help educate people on how to prevent those diseases. As part of our responsibility for urban development in Tokyo, we hope to work with GHIT to consider and take collective action in this regard.

The affiliations and positions listed in this interview are at the time of publication of the interview in 2017.