# Japan secondary capital bill passed, upper house clears > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/japan-secondary-capital-legislation > Updated: 2026-08-16T20:19:04.000Z. Sources: 34. Developments: 16. The Diet’s regular session was extended to late July 2026 to allow the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner, the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), to push the secondary‑capital bill. The lower house approved the legislation on 24‑25 July, designating Osaka as a backup seat of government and adding a final amendment to “adjust as much as possible to avoid overlapping election periods,” addressing opposition concerns about the Osaka gubernatorial election and the Osaka Metropolis referendum being held on the same day. The House of Councillors cleared the bill on 24 July by a razor‑thin margin of 123‑121 votes, a two‑vote difference that hinged on the participation of the coalition, the Team Mirai group and three independents. Team Mirai attached a digital‑use amendment, which helped secure its support despite questions about its expertise for such institutional reforms. Three LDP members were absent for medical treatment, prompting the coalition to describe the result as a “saved” victory. Following the special session’s conclusion, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appeared before the Lower House Budget Committee. Opposition lawmakers probed the narrow approval of the second‑capital bill and other recent reforms, while criticism arose within the LDP over Takaichi’s comparatively low committee attendance—just over 30 hours versus the 50‑90 hours logged by previous prime ministers. Critics continue to label the law a political manoeuvre rather than a genuine crisis‑management measure, whereas the government maintains it will improve disaster resilience and decentralise power from Tokyo. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-16: Japan passes Sub-Capital Law to decentralize functions from Tokyo Japan's new Sub-Capital Law aims to decentralize functions from Tokyo to mitigate disaster risks, though experts question its economic impact and politicians face backlash over flawed AI promotional videos. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-passes-sub-capital-law-to-decentralize-functions-from-tokyo ### 2026-07-29: Japan's Vice Capital Bill Passes by Narrow Margin in Upper House Japan's Vice Capital Bill cleared the House of Councillors by a 123‑121 vote on July 24, 2026, with support from the LDP, Innovation Party, Team Mirai and three independents, after a close‑call caused by absent 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japans-vice-capital-bill-passes-by-narrow-margin-in-upper-house ### 2026-07-26: Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Faces Parliamentary Scrutiny Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi, criticized for low Diet attendance, will be grilled by opposition after a narrow vote on a second‑capital bill and other controversial legislation. 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-prime-minister-sanae-takaichi-faces-parliamentary-scrutiny ### 2026-07-24: Japan's Parliament Approves Backup Capital Bill for Emergency Relocation Japan's Diet approved a bill creating a backup capital to replace Tokyo during major disasters, passing narrowly amid opposition concerns that it favours Osaka. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japans-parliament-approves-backup-capital-law-for-tokyo ### 2026-07-24: Japan's secondary capital bill passed as parliament nears session end Japan's parliament passed a secondary capital bill championed by the Innovation Party, linking it to a same‑day Osaka governor election and referendum; opposition secured a clause to avoid overlapping election‑ 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japans-secondary-capital-bill-passed-as-parliament-nears-session-end ### 2026-07-22: Japan opposition threatens no‑confidence over secondary capital bill Japanese opposition leaders warn they will file a cabinet no‑confidence motion and seek to extend the Diet session if the secondary‑capital bill is not delayed, amid disagreement over same‑day elections. 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-pm-takaichi-criticized-for-personal-x-post-as-bond-market-reacts-to-gpif-comments ### 2026-07-21: Japan's Diet extends session to July 25 amid debate on vice‑capital bill Japan's Diet extended to July 25 to allow limited debate on a contentious vice‑capital bill, sparking opposition demands for more scrutiny and a budget committee meeting with PM Kishida on July 24. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japans-diet-extends-session-to-july-25-amid-debate-on-vicecapital-bill ### 2026-07-20: Japan PM Takachi Sae criticised for low parliamentary attendance and weak leader debate Japan’s PM Takachi Sae was criticized for unusually low Diet attendance and a constrained party‑leader debate, with opposition citing lack of spontaneity and comparing the format unfavourably to the UK model. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-pm-takachi-sae-criticised-for-low-parliamentary-attendance-and-weak-leader-debate ### 2026-07-19: Japan's Takahashi government pressured by coalition over sub‑capital law Japan's Takahashi coalition pushes a sub‑capital bill amid opposition, while Ishin backs other controversial reforms, sparking internal LDP dissent and dropping approval ratings. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japans-takahashi-government-pressured-by-coalition-over-subcapital-law ### 2026-07-13: Japan's Prime Minister Takashi faces party leader debate amid Imperial House Law delay Japan's PM Takashi heads a 15 July party‑leader debate as the Imperial House Law amendment and secondary‑capital bill votes are postponed, with the Diet session ending on 17 July. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japans-secondary-capital-bill-set-for-house-vote-amid-session-extension-talks ### 2026-07-12: Japan's Prime Minister Koike stalls secondary‑capital legislation amid parliamentary deadlock Prime Minister Koike has postponed the vote on Japan's secondary‑capital bill, with the parliamentary session ending in three days and no clear path to passage amid broader legislative deadlock. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japans-prime-minister-koike-stalls-secondarycapital-legislation-amid-parliamentary-deadlock ### 2026-07-07: Japan's ruling LDP postpones parliamentary seat‑reduction bill Japan's LDP will postpone the House seat‑reduction bill, aiming to secure opposition backing for Imperial Household Law changes and a secondary‑capital bill before an autumn special session. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japans-ruling-ldp-postpones-parliamentary-seatreduction-bill ### 2026-07-06: Japan's Diet faces stalemate as seat‑reduction bill blocks parliamentary agenda Japan's Diet is deadlocked over a seat‑reduction bill and a secondary‑capital proposal, with opposition refusing to proceed and the government weighing a session extension. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japans-diet-paralysis-deepens-as-pm-takahashi-faces-opposition-boycott ### 2026-06-30: Japan Ruling Parties Advance Sub‑Capital Bill as Opposition Boycotts Sessions Japan’s ruling parties push a sub‑capital bill through committee meetings while opposition parties boycott all sessions, refusing to attend debates on the legislation and related reforms. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-ruling-parties-advance-subcapital-bill-as-opposition-boycotts-sessions ### 2026-06-29: Japan's ruling coalition bills secondary capital plan Japan's LDP and Innovation Party pushed a ¥20 trillion secondary‑capital bill, while centrist reformers demanded its and a seat‑reduction bill be withdrawn; the ruling party kept the proposals moving forward. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japans-ruling-coalition-bills-secondary-capital-plan ### 2026-06-22: Japan's ruling parties trim Vice‑Capital bill, restrict Osaka vote to city limits Japan’s LDP‑Ishin coalition approved a revised Vice‑Capital bill, dropping a prefecture‑wide referendum clause and limiting the Osaka vote to the city, while the prime minister backs the broader reform. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-limits-subcapital-law-vote-to-osaka-as-government-pushes-key-reforms --- Cite as: Japan secondary capital bill passed, upper house clears. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/japan-secondary-capital-legislation