Japan's House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill submitted by the ruling parties to set up a "second capital" to serve as a backup for Tokyo's core functions in times of disasters or other emergencies and promote decentralization.

Axar.az reports, citing Japanese media, the Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and its junior coalition ally, the Japan Innovation Party, aim to enact the law during the current parliamentary session, which may be extended about a week beyond its end on Friday.

In the lower house, where the LDP-JIP bloc holds an overwhelming majority, the small tech-focused opposition party Team Mirai backed the bill, but it is unclear whether it will pass the House of Councillors, where the ruling camp remains a minority.

The bill to create a backup capital, part of the agreement under the coalition deal signed by the two parties on Oct. 20, could accelerate the JIP's drive to reorganize the western city of Osaka, where the party has a stronghold, into a metropolis like Tokyo by introducing special wards.

The JIP helped Takaichi become prime minister in a parliamentary vote after the coalition agreement was reached.

The bill would allow the prime minister to designate a backup capital based on applications from prefectures, taking into account factors such as population and economic size.

According to the ruling parties, candidate regions should not be exposed to the same disaster risks as Tokyo.