Prime Minister Takaichi said Tuesday she highly values the secondary capital plan and intends to pass related legislation during the current Diet session [1].
The move represents a significant shift toward regional decentralization and administrative reform in Japan. By establishing a secondary capital, the government aims to reduce the extreme concentration of power and population in Tokyo, potentially increasing national resilience against disasters.
During a meeting with Japan Innovation Party leader Yoshimura, Takaichi said the plan, which includes the metropolitan area concept led by Yoshimura's strong leadership, possesses extremely great significance [1]. The Prime Minister said she has a strong desire to see the bill enacted within the remaining time of the session, which has less than one month left [1].
To facilitate the passage of the legislation, Takaichi requested specific modifications to parts of the bill [2]. Specifically, she sought the removal of certain supplementary provisions [3]. The original provisions allowed for the establishment of special wards, and the changing of a prefecture's name to a "metropolis," through a referendum of the entire prefectural population [3].
The Liberal Democratic Party intends to approve the revised version of the bill on June 23, 2026 [1]. This timeline suggests a coordinated effort between the ruling party and the Japan Innovation Party to finalize the legal framework for the secondary capital before the legislative window closes.
This administrative overhaul is viewed as a critical step in restructuring how Japanese governance operates across its various regions. The focus on a secondary capital is intended to distribute administrative functions more broadly, ensuring that the state can continue to operate if the primary capital faces a catastrophic event.
“The secondary capital plan... possesses extremely great significance.”
The push for a secondary capital signals a strategic attempt by the Takaichi administration to break the 'Tokyo centralization' model. By modifying the bill to remove certain referendum requirements, the government is attempting to streamline the legal process to ensure the plan survives the current legislative session. If successful, this could fundamentally alter Japan's geopolitical internal structure and provide a blueprint for regional administrative autonomy.
