Japan to Build New Capital.

Image via Scientopia.org

After the devastation of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in March of this year the Japanese government has begun to seriously consider plans to build a new, backup central government location to be used in times of national emergency or in case the city of Tokyo were to be destroyed by a natural disaster or otherwise. Codenamed the IRTBBC (Integrated Resort, Tourism, Business and Backup City, the backup capital will lie some three hundred miles south of Tokyo at the current site of the Itami airport. The planned infrastructure calls for 50,000 permanent residents with capacity for 200,000 daily workers who would be commuting to the site from the nearby metropolis of Osaka. The plan for the backup capital is still in the preliminary stages though it has powerful backers like Naoto Kan. This is not to be confused with the ‘New Metropolis’ movement which seeks to build an entirely new capital distinct from Tokyo.

[Wired]