Cities compete to be Japan’s ‘backup capital’

A high-angle photograph of Tokyo by night shows the Tokyo Tower prominently illuminated in its traditional orange “Landmark Light”. (Photo: David Kernan via Wikimedia Commons)

TOKYO — For 158 years, Tokyo has stood as Japan’s glittering capital, a world-famous nexus of food, culture, business and government.

But Tokyo might soon get an understudy. Japanese legislators recently passed a bill to create a secondary capital that would serve as an alternate centre for the government’s operations, ensuring continuity in case of a natural disaster or other emergency.