Japan's 13-City Second-Capital Race Intensifies as Experts Warn July 24 Law Favors Osaka
Updated
Updated · Kyodo News Plus · Aug 22
Japan's 13-City Second-Capital Race Intensifies as Experts Warn July 24 Law Favors Osaka
2 articles · Updated · Kyodo News Plus · Aug 22
Summary
Thirteen local governments are vying for Japan's new "second capital" designation, even though the law enacted on July 24 leaves key eligibility and selection standards to be set later.
Experts say that vagueness risks skewing the contest toward Osaka because the measure is closely tied to the ruling coalition deal between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's LDP and the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party.
By the end of October, the government must define requirements for applicant prefectures; one or more sites can be chosen if they are unlikely to face the same disasters as Tokyo and would receive tax incentives.
Fukuoka, Hokkaido, Hiroshima, Aichi, Gunma and Osaka are pitching sharply different roles—some as disaster backup hubs, others as new growth engines—highlighting what scholars call the law's biggest design flaw.
Scholars warn the scheme, enacted with limited public debate, could deepen regional disparities and simply shift Japan's concentration from Tokyo to a few favored centers unless screening is transparent and independent.