Japan’s ‘Sub-Capital Concept Law’ Takes Effect; Four Regions Vie for Designation

The law's entry into force turns a policy concept into a formal designation race, and the November guidelines will be the first real signal of how selective the government intends to be. Hokkaido, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka all clearing the published criteria suggests the competition may hinge on how the selection timetable and basic guidelines weight regional roles rather than on eligibility alone. Whether the process stays genuinely competitive or narrows quickly is the open question, and the first guideline release is where that becomes visible.