Japan sets requirements for a secondary capital, naming four eligible prefectures

Japan’s government approved requirements for a secondary capital at a cabinet meeting on Oct.

27.

The rules set population and economic-size conditions, leaving Hokkaido, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka as the only prefectures that qualify.

The plan is meant to develop a major city outside Tokyo, but disaster backup is a less prominent goal than before.

A secondary capital could help move some national functions away from Tokyo, which is vulnerable to major disasters.

Hiroshima Governor Mika Yokota had questioned the proposed requirements, saying they did not seem to match goals such as spreading disaster risk and economic activity.

The government has set the eligibility rules, but the sources do not say what happens next.