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Home >> National and Regional Planning Bureau >> The Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations >> Q&A >> Chapter 1: Information on the Relocation of the Capital Functions
The relocation of the capital functions involves the relocation of the Diet, the administrative center for Diet activities, and the center of juridical functions to an area outside the Tokyo area. This is also referred to as “the relocation of the Diet and other organizations.”
Simply put, the project entails moving the House of Representatives, the House of Councillors, the central offices of the government, the Supreme Court, and other central functions of the nation to an area located at least 60 kilometers from Tokyo.
Precisely which organizations would be relocated has not yet been determined. Not all of the central offices of Japan’s ministries and agencies would be relocated, and generally, local offices and organizations would not be relocated.
The target of the relocation of the capital functions (the Diet and other organizations) will be the Diet and the administrative center for Diet activities. The target does not include the Imperial Palace or any of the economic, cultural, or other similar functions that are currently gathered in the capital, Tokyo. The relocation of the capital functions will be to relocate some of the functions of the capital and is different from relocating the capital.
The Prime Minister confirmed the above definition during a Diet session in 1996.
At a meeting of the Special Committee on the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations held June 13, 1996, the Prime Minister stated:
“I do not mean “the relocation of the capital;” I do not intend to move the Imperial Palace.”
And:
“Investigations and deliberations based on the Act for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations will not be conducted on the assumption that the capital will be moved.”
Many suggestions for the relocation of the capital functions came from universities, research institutes, and other organizations starting in the late 1950s when the excessive concentration of activities in Tokyo and its harmful effects became conspicuous.
The government ranked the relocation of the capital functions as an important issue for the government’s national land policy when it developed the Third National Comprehensive Development Plan (1977), the Fourth National Comprehensive Development Plan (1987), and other critical national policies.
In November 1990, when the Diet reached its one-hundredth anniversary, the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors passed a resolution for the relocation of the Diet and other organizations. This resolution stated that, as a basic policy for rectifying the bias in the overall usage of national land, the government should relocate the Diet and other organizations to help eliminate the excessive concentration of activities in Tokyo and to establish a framework suitable for the 21st century for conducting political and administrative functions.
In December 1992, the Diet passed the Act for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations (referred to here as the Relocation Act) as proposed by Diet members and established the Investigating Committee for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations. After two years and nine months of discussions, the Investigating Committee presented a report in December 1995 to clarify fundamental points regarding this policy, including the significance of the relocation of the capital functions and the criteria for selecting candidate areas.
In June 1996, the Relocation Act was partially amended to add a provision for the establishment of the Council for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations. The mission of the Council was to choose candidate areas for the relocation of the capital functions and decide on other important matters related to the relocation. After about three years of spirited discussions, a report was presented by the Council to the Prime Minister on December 20, 1999, and was announced at the Diet by the Prime Minister on the following day.
The Council for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations is an advisory organization that was established in accordance with the Relocation Act in order to advise the Prime Minister. Its mission is to conduct investigations and deliberations in accordance with the report of the Investigating Committee for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations and the Diet discussions of this report, and to report the results of their efforts to the Prime Minister. These results are then announced by the Prime Minister at the Diet.
The Council consists of no more than twenty members who specialize in numerous fields related to the relocation of the capital functions. They are appointed by the Prime Minister and approved by both Houses. The Council also includes investigative committees that investigate and deliberate on subjects of their respective specialties.
The Act for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations was passed in 1992. It was partially amended in 1996 to include a provision for establishing the Council, which was created to choose candidate areas for the relocation, and a provision for measures to deal with land speculation activities that could occur when candidate areas are selected.
The Act, thus amended, consists of a preface, five chapters, and supplementary provisions. In summary, the Act includes the basic policy for studying the relocation of the capital functions, a description of the organization and required secretarial work of the Council, processes for deciding on a plan for the relocation, and measures to deal with land speculation activities that could occur when candidate areas are selected.
The preface to the Relocation Act states: “At present, many functions are excessively concentrated in the Tokyo area. This situation has caused serious problems, including an excessively high population density in the Tokyo area and an increased probability of significant damage to persons and property in the event of a large disaster. In addition, population concentration in Tokyo has brought about a great imbalance in the population density, resulting in a low density and sluggish economic activities in rural areas. Another problem is the tendency toward stereotyped culture. These problems are bottlenecks that prevent not only appropriate land utilization, but also hinder efforts to build a new society capable of adapting to a changing environment.” The preface emphasizes that positive steps toward the relocation of the capital functions are extremely important in resolving these problems.
Chapter 1 specifies that the nation should be responsible for enthusiastically studying all particulars regarding relocation of the capital functions.
Chapter 2 specifies the basic policy on which the study of the relocation of the capital functions should be based. It states that every effort should be made to hear from people in a wide range of fields, reach a consensus among the people, and appropriately associate the relocation of the capital functions with sweeping innovations in finance and administration.
Chapter 3 specifies the establishment of the Council for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations, which is assigned to select candidate areas upon request from the Prime Minister and to conduct investigations and deliberations based on reports from the Investigating Committee for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations as well as the conclusions of Diet discussions regarding those reports. It also specifies that the Council members should be appointed by the Prime Minister and approved by both Houses. The chapter includes the necessary provisions for the organization and operations of the Council.
Chapter 4 specifies what is to happen after the Council presents its report regarding the processes for deciding on the relocation of the capital functions. After the report is presented, it will be necessary to further study the relocation with consideration given to the consensus reached thus far among the people, current social and economic conditions, and comparisons between the selected candidate areas and Tokyo. This chapter also specifies that the decision for relocating the functions should be in accordance with a separate law.
Chapter 5 specifies that candidate areas should be treated as special areas that must be designated as monitored areas as set forth in the National Land Use Planning Act (obligation in the Act). The chapter includes provisions specifying what considerations the nation should pay regarding the candidate areas that are treated as such controlled areas.
