Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka meet secondary capital criteria

The central government released a draft ordinance Saturday laying out requirements for designating “secondary capitals” that would serve as substitutes for Tokyo in the event of a major disaster.

Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka — the capital cities of Hokkaido, Aichi Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture, and Fukuoka Prefecture, respectively — all met the proposed criteria, according to NHK.

The four prefectures have expressed their intention to apply for secondary capital designation to the central government.

The government began soliciting public comments on the draft ordinance the same day, planning to finalize it later this month.

Under the draft ordinance, prefectures that are considered unlikely to suffer damage at the same time as the Tokyo metropolitan area would be eligible, excluding areas that would be affected by a possible major earthquake directly beneath Tokyo or an eruption of Mount Fuji.

Eligible prefectures must also meet the following requirements: contain a city with at least 14 regional offices of central government agencies; have an ordinance-designated major city whose population accounts for at least 1.2% of the country’s total population; have an economic scale that accounts for at least 2.1% of Japan’s gross domestic product; and have an ordinance-designated city that is reorganized into a special ward or concludes a partnership agreement with the prefectural government.

The four prefectures already meet the first three requirements and can apply for secondary capital designation after meeting the fourth.

A secondary capital is aimed at creating a multipolar and decentralized economic zone by developing alternative functions for the country’s capital in local areas in preparation for large-scale disasters. The designated areas are expected to implement measures such as developing alternative functions, providing tax incentives to attract private investment and introducing deregulation.

The government plans to announce its basic stance on secondary capital designation in November and outline a schedule for submitting applications.