Japan Innovation Party Pledges ‘Second Capital Law’ ahead of Election, Proposes Cap on Foreign Population

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:14 JST, January 22, 2026

The Japan Innovation Party unveiled on Wednesday its official pledges for the upcoming House of Representatives election. A central proposal is its “second capital law” for addressing the overconcentration of population and government functions in Tokyo.

The party’s policy package also calls for reductions in social insurance premiums and a temporary cut to the consumption tax. As part of governance reforms designed to create a backup for the nation’s capital functions, the JIP identified Fukuoka and Sapporo as potential “second capital” candidates alongside its home base of Osaka.

On social security reform, the JIP pledges to slash annual medical expenditures by more than ¥4 trillion, aiming to lower social insurance premiums by ¥60,000 per year for each working-age resident. The pledges also include a move to raise the out-of-pocket medical payment rate for the elderly to 30%.

To combat rising prices, the party seeks to “accelerate discussions” within a cross-party national council to set the consumption tax rate on food items at 0% for two years — a move that aligns with campaign promises announced by the Liberal Democratic Party on the same day.

To cut wasteful spending, the JIP is advocating a “government efficiency bureau” and the abolition of special taxation measures and subsidies deemed to have low policy effectiveness. In line with its signature “self-sacrificing reform” mantra, the party also vowed to reduce the number of lower house seats by 10% in the next Diet session.

The JIP called for the enactment of an anti-espionage law and the establishment of a foreign intelligence service, in addition to proposing a cap on the percentage of foreign residents in Japan. The party also suggested the joint ownership of nuclear submarines with the United States as one part of the strengthening of the Japan-U.S. alliance.