Key Facts
• Honjo City, Saitama, collaborates with three towns to attract the Disaster Management Agency.
• Proposal involves partial relocation of capital functions from Tokyo.
• Historical context: In 1878, Sano Tsunetami proposed relocating the capital to Honjo.
• Sano’s reasons included Tokyo’s vulnerability to naval attacks and epidemics.
• Honjo’s advantages: elevated terrain, clean water, and access to Tone River transport.
• Sano envisioned Honjo and Tokyo developing like Washington, D.C., and New York.
• Honjo’s current strengths: strong ground, flood resistance, and excellent transport links.
• July 2025: Honjo and three towns submitted a joint request to Japan’s Cabinet Office.
• Competing bids for the agency include Tokorozawa and Chichibu regions in Saitama.
• Honjo Mayor Yoshida expresses confidence in meeting the agency’s functional needs.
Summary
Honjo City in Saitama Prefecture has joined forces with three neighboring towns to bid for hosting Japan’s proposed Disaster Management Agency. This initiative echoes a historical proposal from 1878 by Sano Tsunetami, who advocated relocating the capital to Honjo due to Tokyo’s vulnerabilities. Honjo’s elevated terrain, clean water, and strategic location were highlighted as key advantages. Today, these strengths remain relevant, with the city offering strong ground, flood resistance, and excellent transport infrastructure, including bullet train and highway access. Mayor Yoshida expressed confidence in Honjo’s ability to fulfill the agency’s requirements, viewing this as an opportunity to realize a long-held local aspiration. The competition for hosting the agency is fierce, with other regions in Saitama also vying for the opportunity.
