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Japan's Government should transfer its functions to any one of five major cities in the country, including Osaka and Nagoya, if an earthquake hit the capital, a government panel will recommend. According to The Japan Times, the other three cities are Sapporo , Sendai and Fukuoka . This is what a task force studying emergency measures under the Central Disaster Prevention Council said in its draft interim report. Serious damage to core political, administrative and economic functions could 'affect our country's fate,' the draft stressed. It also called on the government to make backups of disaster-related data for use at the emergency headquarters. At present, Tachikawa in western Tokyo is designated to become the prime minister's office and other government offices if the capital is wiped out by a major quake. But since the area is only about 30 km from the capital's center, it is also expected to suffer severe damage. The panel picked the five cities because they already have branch offices of the government and Bank of Japan, as well as other facilities that can be converted into emergency headquarters. Other recommendations include the preparation of temporary shelters in public and private facilities to help stranded commuters, such as those in Tokyo who were unable to return home following the Great East Japan Earthquake. The panel will present the draft at the council's next meeting, and aims to compile a final report by next spring.

Five cities can replace a quake-hit Tokyo