TOKYO -- The Japanese government will create 11 international business hubs in greater Tokyo and allow foreign doctors to treat patients at five select hospitals there as well, according to draft proposals aimed at luring more foreign talent to the region.

The Tokyo metropolitan area is designated as one of the six special strategic zones where deregulation is encouraged to spur economic growth, and many municipalities there are eager to use the government initiative to attract foreign businesses. The draft proposals were unveiled Wednesday at a meeting of concerned parties.

Redevelopment projects planned by such companies as Mitsubishi Estate and Mitsui Fudosan will form the basis for the international business hubs. Once details are hammered out, these projects will be recognized by the government as part of the special zone program.

Hospitals in greater Tokyo will tap the program to offer cutting-edge medical care. Keio University Hospital, for instance, will use a drug unapproved in Japan to treat Crohn's disease and other autoimmune disorders, starting as early as this year. And the Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR and the Yokohama City University Hospital, as well as two other hospitals, will increase beds to provide advanced treatments.

"To make Tokyo the world's No. 1 city, we'll take advantage of the special zone program wherever we can," Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe told reporters.

Tokyo is ranked the No. 9 city in the world by business leaders, according to a survey by the Mori Memorial Foundation's Institute for Urban Strategies, trailing such cities as Singapore and Shanghai.

(Nikkei)