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Japanese government announces criteria for creating backup capital of Japan

Casey Baseel a few minute ago
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Four cities are the most likely candidates to become vice-capitals in case Tokyo is struck by an incapacitating natural disaster.

Over the course of history, Japan has had several capital cities. Most famously, the imperial court was previously located in Kyoto, and before that in Nara. There was also a period of around 150 years when Kamakura, by nature of being the then-ruling shogunate’s base of power, operated as the de-facto capital.

In 1868, though, the capital was moved to Edo, resulting in the entire city being renamed Tokyo, which literally means “eastern capital.” And while Tokyo isn’t in danger or losing that status, the Japanese government has now decided on a set of criteria for cities that want to become Japan’s official backup capital.

The idea of designating a fukushuto (literally “vice-capital”) has been one that proponents have been kicking around for a while. Initially it was spearheaded by the Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation) Party, a political group with a great deal of influence in Osaka, Japan’s third-largest city by population. The purposed purpose would be to have a backup plan in place in the event of a natural disaster in the Tokyo area, such as a large earthquake or eruption of Mt. Fuji, rendering government institutions in Tokyo unable to function.

▼ Osaka’s reputation for making superior takoyaki (octopus balls) compared to Tokyo, while not explicitly stated, was no doubt seen as an important factor as well.

Seeking support from a potential coalition with Nippon Isshin voters, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party also began putting its weight behind the idea, and after agreeing to move forward with the initiative last summer, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet has now released a set of criteria for cities applying for backup capital status.

To qualify, the backup capital city must be located within a prefecture that contains at least 1.2 percent of Japan’s total population and accounts for at least 2.1 percent of the nation’s GDP. It must also be located sufficiently far enough from Tokyo to be outside the area of effect of any disaster that would incapacitate the current capital, and it must also have facilities for at least half of the 28 classifications of national government field offices.

The distance-from-Tokyo requirement eliminates the city of Yokohama, since despite being Japan’s second-largest city, it’s only about 30 minutes south of the capital, so any natural disaster causing significant damage to one is likely to hit the other hard as well. However, despite Osaka politicians having been the ones who got the ball rolling on this whole vice-capital idea, they now seem to have rivals for that designation. In addition to Osaka, Aichi, Fukuoka, and Hokkaido also meet the cabinet’s criteria, and it is suggested that those prefectures’ legislators will make a push for the cities of Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo, respectively, to be chosen as a backup capital, though the current framework of the ordinance doesn’t explicitly prohibit multiple cities from being awarded the status.

It’s worth noting that, according to the Japanese government’s National Personnel Authority, there are more than 40,000 government employees working in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki district, where the majority of the city’s government facilities are located. While the vice-capital initiative doesn’t call for a complete 1:1 backup for every single office and worker, it would, as a matter of course, require some level of redundancy, and the related hiring and infrastructure development, funded by tax revenue, could represent a significant economic windfall for any city chosen as a vice-capital, and also give local legislators substantially more political clout. There’s also the question of whether debating and choosing backup capital cities is the most effective use of politicians’ time and energy, considering that rising costs of living, stagnating wages, and crime are probably more immediate concerns for the vast majority of ordinary citizens and residents of Japan.

The cabinet is expected to spend the next year or so drafting the fundamental policies for how the vice-capital site would operate, which is slated to be presented next October prior to official site selections.

Source: Yomiuri Shimbun (1, 2), Tokyo Shimbun
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