Japan moves forward with plans to establish a backup capital for Tokyo

The law represents a key component of the coalition agreement signed a year ago between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner, the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party. The agreement includes plans to reorganize Osaka into a metropolis similar to Tokyo through the introduction of a special ward system.

The Japanese government is expected to announce its basic policy on the second capital designation in November, along with a proposed timetable for the selection process.

Under the new legislation, the second capital is intended to ensure the continuity of Japan’s national and social functions in the event of a major disaster, while reducing the concentration of economic activity in the Tokyo metropolitan region.

Prefectures granted the designation will also be eligible for regulatory exemptions and tax incentives aimed at attracting private investment.

The legislation authorizes the prime minister to designate a second capital based on applications submitted by prefectural governments. Notably, the law does not restrict the number of designated areas to one, allowing the possibility of multiple secondary capitals across Japan.

Several prefectures have already expressed interest in applying, including Hokkaido in northern Japan, Aichi in the central region, Osaka in western Japan and Fukuoka in the southwest.

On Tuesday, the government approved an ordinance outlining the eligibility requirements for second capital status.

According to the criteria, an applicant prefecture must account for at least 2.1 percent of Japan’s gross domestic product and include a city whose population represents at least 1.2 percent of the country's total population.

The administrative requirements stipulate that applicants must either reorganize a government-designated city into special wards or establish a cooperation agreement between the city and the prefectural government.

The ordinance also requires designated backup capitals to be located outside areas considered vulnerable to severe damage from a major earthquake affecting the Tokyo region or an eruption of Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain, located between Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures west of the capital.

Earlier, Qazinform reported a magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, adding that there was no tsunami threat.