What would a ‘backup capital’ look like for Japan?

Discussions are underway between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) to create a backup capital that would not only continue the functions of government in case a natural disaster strikes Tokyo but also be a major economic center.

But while the LDP and the JIP, also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai, agreed last month to enact the necessary legislation for the project in next year’s regular session of parliament, the concept faces tough questions about what it would look like in practice — and whether its true purpose is to realize the Kansai-centered JIP’s goal of merging Osaka city’s wards into a Tokyo-like structure in the hope it would be chosen by the central government as the secondary capital.

On Tuesday, the LDP and JIP held their first meeting on the issue. They agreed a backup capital bill was needed to address economic disparities arising between Tokyo and other regions due to an overconcentration of political, administrative, economic, and other functions, as well as people, in the Tokyo area.