16:47 JST, July 26, 2026

It must be said that the law on a second capital is riddled with problems, as it blatantly reflects the Japan Innovation Party’s desire to make Osaka a “second capital.”

A bill related to the second capital concept — submitted by the Liberal Democratic Party and its ruling coalition partner, the JIP — was enacted after the House of Councillors passed it by a margin of two votes. Not only were the ruling parties’ explanations insufficient, the opposition bloc objected to the bill, criticizing its premise of designating Osaka as a second capital. The ruling parties misjudged the strength of the opposition bloc’s resistance, and voting on the bill ended up being delayed until the night of the effective closing day for the Diet session.

The core of the second capital law is to establish a system for designating a prefecture as a second capital that will serve as a backup for the capital’s functions should Tokyo be hit by a disaster. However, the reality is that the Osaka-based JIP has long pushed for this policy — along with its long-cherished Osaka........

© The Japan News