2025 New Year's Greeting

Happy New Year!
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you on a very happy and prosperous New Year. I would like to thank you for your understanding and cooperation with the efforts of the Ward Chamber of Commerce and the Ward Civic Federation during the past year.
I would also like to thank Mayor Katsunori Aoki and other administrative officials, Council President Yoshinori Ito and other members of the Katsushika City Council, the Diet, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, and all related organizations for their continuous guidance and support. Once again, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you.
According to the Monthly Economic Report by the Cabinet Office, the economy is “recovering moderately, although there are still some signs of stagnation. However, according to the Economic Trends Survey, the retail and service industries are not necessarily optimistic. We, as a shopping district, must continue to value the relationship of trust with our customers and business partners and do our best with sincerity and sincerity.
Under such circumstances, the Federation of Shops and Merchants of Katsushika City, in cooperation with Katsushika City, last year issued “Katsushika Premium Gift Coupons”.
From the end of June to July, a total of 1.44 billion yen in face value was issued, and in November, another 1.2 billion yen in face value was issued as the second round. In addition, we issued 480 million yen worth of “Katsushika PAY”, a digital gift certificate with a premium, in September. In both cases, the number of applications for the coupons far exceeded the number of coupons issued.
In addition, we have also developed various other projects to promote the shopping district.
The “6th Katsushika Gourmet Championship Jaapan Cup 2024” held from January to February and the “5th Katsushika Meat Festa 2024” held from September to October were attended by a large number of stores, and both the store tour events and the venue events were very popular. In September, 200 stores participated in the “Katsushika Marugoto Bar 2.024” event.
We were also able to participate in a big event organized by the entire Katsushika City.
At the “Katsushika Industrial Fair” held in October to commemorate the 40th anniversary, 21 booths of our members sold their products, and the event was enlivened by samba, Awa Odori dancing, and street performances. The event attracted 83,000 visitors over two days, with many members exhibiting their products.
This year's events have certainly increased the number of points of contact between merchants and customers. We expect that they will contribute greatly to the promotion of the shopping district in the future.
On the other hand, in order to improve the quality of our members and to help them solve various problems, we conducted a study tour of advanced shopping arcades. We will continue to actively engage in such learning activities.
Our shopping malls are a way of life for our customers. Especially for children, they are etched in their minds as the original landscape of their birthplace. Everyone has memories of the stores in the neighborhood where they were born and raised.
Therefore, shopping arcades must be vibrant. Without our efforts, how can we create a safe, livable, and humane town where children can grow up healthy and happy?
Our efforts to revitalize shopping arcades are a thorny issue in today's economic climate. The goal is not yet in sight. However, it is precisely because it is difficult that we, the merchants of Katsushika, are worthy of our efforts. We will vigorously promote our respective commercial activities, and at the same time, we will make the proud town of Katsushika grow and prosper.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)