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Issei Kato / Reuters
Onlookers get a panoramic view of the city of Tokyo from the first observatory deck during a media preview of the Tokyo Sky Tree tower this week. Some Japanese lawmakers have proposed constructing a "backup city" that could take on the capital's functions in the event of a catastrophe.
It sounds like a story ripped from the parody-filled pages of The Onion, but some Japanese lawmakers really do want to build a "backup city" that would take over the functions of Tokyo, including tourism, in the event of a catastrophe.
The idea was floated last month at a Tokyo luncheon, with a follow-up in The Telegraph last week. "The idea of being able to have a backup, a spare battery for the functions of the nation ... isn't this really a good idea?" Hajime Ishii, a parliamentarian representing the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, was quoted as saying.
Support for creating an urban Plan B has grown in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in March and led to the Fukushima nuclear crisis. "Preparations are already under way at various levels to find ways of mitigating possible far-reaching consequences of a much-expected earthquake striking Tokyo," the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan said.
The lawmakers' plan calls for building an urban center known as IRTBBC (Integrated Resort, Tourism, Business and Backup City) or NEMIC (National Emergency Management International City) on the 1,236-acre site currently occupied by Osaka International Airport at Itami. Today, Itami is used only as a secondary hub for domestic flights, operating in the shadow of the newer Kansai airport.
The new city would take on all the functions of the capital city in the event of an emergency. It would boast office complexes, resort facilities, parks and even casinos. The city's centerpiece would be a tower that would rank among the tallest in the world, coming in at just over 650 meters (2,133 feet). It'd be built to house 50,000 residents and accommodate a workday population of around 200,000 people from the Osaka region, The Telegraph reported.
If the plan goes forward, it would rank among history's most ambitious backup plans. The backers haven't calculated the cost of building the city. For now, Ishii and his fellow lawmakers — including the Democratic Party's Banri Kaieda, Shizuka Kamei of the People's New Party and Ichiro Aisawa of the Liberal Democrats — are merely seeking 14 million yen ($180,000) for a feasibility study.
So far, the reaction has been mixed: Osaka's governor, Toru Hashimoto, has been quoted as saying that his region is willing to accept the capital backup role, while Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara has voiced opposition. And he may not be the only one: It just seems to me that most emergency-management officials, if not most politicians, would prefer to fortify what they have rather than building a whole new complex someplace else. Of course, I could be wrong about that.
More about Japan's future:
- Special report: "After the Wave"
- Japan marks six months since quake, tsunami
- Japan reactor restrarts; new glitch hits Fukushima
- Cosmic Log archive on Japan
Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding me to your Google+ circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.
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Patrick: "We should just take the city, and PUSH it over THERE!"
It is good idea. Especially in a disaster prone region. Though it might be better to place it on the opposite coast.
Hi, Y'all. Before indulging further in corrupt gangster fiscal adventures, the racist killers/rapists of eastern Asia might do better to refocus a bit. How to replace the aging population, without allowing in so many of the unwashed? How to reverse the deflationary trend in fiscal/monetary government policy. How to take the old boys out of business, or at least minimize their influence. How to run nuclear power more effectively. Just to name a few items. It's great fun this shifting chairs on the deck of the Japanese ship of state. Just as the delays by Europeans in revamping their welfare states. But at what costs? Aaltarboy.
Dear menhaters. It might be wise to redo NOLA along the lines of what the Dutch are doing to Amsterdam, or the Italians to Venice. Very costly. But anything less would not be effective over the long haul. I trained at Tulane, and believe me, darlin', NOLA ain't no Amsterdam, much less Venetia. Aalterboy.
Will it have a Godzilla understudy?
Read this !!
You'd do better by using taxation and incentives to encourage people to move from City A to backup City B. Distributing the population better inherently provides a "spare battery" if an earthquake hits city A.
That's good. Neon Genesis could happen, you know.
I can just hear it now....you can't go to Tokyo because Godzilla stepped on it, but you get to go to the replica city. Why not throw all this money at the economy instead of a second city? Building a replica only will waste money over the years because you still have to mantain it and what happens if it gets hit by the same earthquake? Now you have two cities that are wrecked, no common sense at all.
Can't hurt to have a backup. If you got the coin, or the key to presses to print more, why not?
Any backup capital should not be located on the Pacific Ring of Fire because of earthquake hazard. It should not be located near a sea coast due to Tsunami hazard. It should be well above sea level to avoid being flooded by Global Warming. Etc. Now the oldest most stable high ground in the world is the Canadian Shield which anchors the North American continent. From the Great Lakes to the Arctic Ocean, this ancient landmass is safe from earthquakes, tsunamis, sea level rises, etc. It is sparsely populated. It welcomes development. Property is inexpensive. And if we believe the Warmists, it will have a pleasantly warm climate in coming centuries.
Perhaps it would be a good idea for nations with poorly situated capitals to purchase land on the Canadian Shield and develop backup capitals there.
This sounds like they got the idea from the anime ?"Bleach" where the soul reapers build a second fake city to protect the real one from attack by enemies.
Wait, isn't this idea from the Japanese anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion?
<insert angry fish sound here>
The Japanese only have to look across the sea towards South Korea. The Koreans are building an entire city under Green standards, LEED stds - Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. As much as the Japanese might not want to admit it, the Korean's are way ahead of them in this regard. In fact, the Korean's are way ahead of most industrialized nations with their integrated fiber optics, and embrace of Green standards for future build out.
We should do this in the US. It would create jobs. But of course the Nazis, er I meanRrepublicNAZIS are against jobs and anything to help the US. Hell they are still against the Hoover Dam.