There is a strong need to create a backup capital in Japan that can take over Tokyo's functions in an emergency, Yoshimasa Hayashi, a candidate in the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election, said in a recent interview.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi is running against four other candidates in the ruling party's Oct. 4 race to pick the successor to outgoing LDP President Shigeru Ishiba, who is also Japan's prime minister.
"There have long been discussions about the importance of having another place that can function as the capital and relocating parliament in the event of a big earthquake occurring directly beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area," Hayashi said. "The need to secure redundancy is significant."
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