Japan’s Ruling LDP Approves Second Capital Bill

Tokyo, June 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday approved a bill to establish a second capital for the country, a measure pursued by the Japan Innovation Party, the LDP’s coalition partner. The approval by the LDP’s General Council came after the JIP agreed to modify the bill to narrow the scope of voters in any referendum on introducing special wards in a city to those in the city concerned. The bill is designed to establish a major city that could serve as a backup for Tokyo’s core government functions in the event of a disaster. It is part of policy agreements that the two parties signed in October to establish a coalition government. Originally, the bill included a provision allowing a prefecture-wide referendum on an administrative reform in a city, meaning that a poll on the JIP’s long-sought plan to reform the city of Osaka, western Japan, to be carried out across Osaka Prefecture. The provision drew strong opposition from the LDP. Prime Minister and LDP President Sanae Takaichi on Monday asked JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura, who also serves as Osaka governor, to delete the provision. The Osaka-based JIP’s so-called Osaka metropolis plan would reorganize the city into special wards like Tokyo’s 23 wards, but voters rejected it in referendums in 2015 and 2020. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]