Key Facts
• September 6: Japan Innovation Party launched a project team for the ‘Secondary Capital’ plan.
• The plan aims to decentralize Tokyo and establish a backup capital for crisis management.
• The party seeks to finalize the bill framework by the end of September 2025.
• The ‘Secondary Capital’ concept gained attention after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
• The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) faces a minority government and may need coalition support.
• Former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi expressed alignment with the plan’s principles.
• The plan ties to the failed ‘Osaka Metropolis Plan,’ rejected twice in local referendums.
• The Japan Innovation Party emphasizes resolving Osaka’s dual administrative structure.
• Co-leader Fumitake Fujita remains cautious about making the plan a sole coalition condition.
• The party has invited LDP leadership candidates for online discussions on their policies.
Summary
The Japan Innovation Party is accelerating efforts to finalize its ‘Secondary Capital’ bill, which aims to decentralize Tokyo and establish a backup capital for crisis management. This initiative, rooted in lessons from the 2011 earthquake, has gained prominence as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) seeks coalition partners to address its minority status. Former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi has shown support for the plan’s principles. However, the proposal is linked to the party’s earlier ‘Osaka Metropolis Plan,’ which was twice rejected in local referendums. The party stresses the need to resolve Osaka’s dual administrative structure to advance the plan. While co-leader Fumitake Fujita is cautious about making this the sole condition for a coalition, the party has invited LDP leadership candidates for policy discussions. The outcome of these talks could shape Japan’s political and administrative future.
