Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City have identified the Otemae area as a candidate site for the development of the "Deputy Capital Agency Joint Government Building." The center shows the Osaka Prefectural Government Office, with Osaka Castle in the background. Photo taken on January 7, 2026, from a Mainichi Shimbun helicopter by Shiji Kako.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has begun considering revisions to the draft of the "Deputy Capital Bill," which it aims to pass during the current Diet session together with the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai). While the LDP plans to propose consultations with the Innovation Party soon, the Innovation Party is reluctant to accept revisions, making it unclear whether the goal can be achieved.
On the 19th, multiple LDP sources confirmed this in interviews. According to sources, LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki met with Innovation Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Nakaji on the 18th at the LDP headquarters to discuss the bill's progress. Suzuki explained that there is no support for the bill within the party's internal committees, stating, "At this rate, it won't pass internal party review." He urged Nakaji to agree to discussions with an eye toward revising the bill.
The Deputy Capital Bill designates a deputy capital to assume the functions of the capital during large-scale disasters and is a flagship policy of the Innovation Party, included in the coalition agreement between the LDP and the Innovation Party. However, the bill's supplementary provisions include a mechanism to expand the scope of a referendum on the "Osaka Metropolis Plan"—which would abolish Osaka City and reorganize it into special wards—from within the city to the entire prefecture.
Within the LDP, opposition has flared up over concerns that this provision may violate Article 92 of the Constitution, which guarantees local autonomy. Many within the LDP have expressed strong views that "the supplementary provisions should be removed. We cannot pass the bill as is." The party leadership appears to have concluded that revisions are unavoidable to secure internal approval. Meanwhile, the Innovation Party has indicated it is willing to extend the Diet session to ensure the bill's passage, suggesting that coordination within the ruling coalition may prove difficult. [Inokuchi Aya, Sonobe Hitoshi]
