Japan's vague 'second capital' law sparks fairness concerns amid regional competition

In a nation perched atop one of the earth's most restless seismic zones, Japan has passed a law to designate a 'second capital' — a backup to Tokyo should catastrophe strike. Yet the legislation, rushed through parliament in July 2026 under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, was born as much from political debt as from civic foresight, and it arrives without the criteria, oversight, or clarity of purpose that such a consequential decision demands. Regions across the country now compete for a designation whose meaning has not yet been defined, and scholars warn that a process begun in ambiguity may