Japan's parliament passed legislation Friday to create a second capital as a backup for Tokyo in emergencies such as disasters, effectively ending the 2026 main session after an eight-day extension.
Under the new law the prime minister can designate a backup capital based on applications from prefectures that meet requirements including population and economic size.
Opposition parties criticized the bill as tailored to the Japan Innovation Party, the junior coalition partner, and said it would advance the party's plan to reorganize Osaka into a metropolis. JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura, who is also Osaka governor, has said he aims to hold a third referendum and the next gubernatorial race on the same day next spring.
Other bills passed by the upper house on Friday included one revising the law on referendums for amending the Constitution. The House of Councillors decided to rename itself the Senate.