http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20081112p2a00m0na005000c.html
GJThe governor of Hyogo has come under fire after remarking that local cities may get more opportunities if a major earthquake hits the capital Tokyo.
"If a major earthquake occurs, we will get a chance," said Hyogo Gov. Toshizo Ido during a meeting in Wakayama of governors in the Kinki region on Tuesday.
Ido's remarks immediately invited criticism, all the more because he is the governor of a prefecture that was hard hit by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.
Later the same day, Ido held a press conference in Kobe and told reporters: "If the term 'chance' invited misunderstanding, I should have used a more appropriate word."
The meeting in Wakayama, which was attended by the governors of Osaka, Kyoto and four other prefectures in the Kinki region, discussed decentralization of government and how to relieve the excess concentration of industry in Tokyo.
Ido maintained that the Kansai region should take on the role of the "second capital" and said, "First of all, we should consider how to change the current situation where everything is concentrated in Tokyo. We must show the flag.
"Physically, if a major earthquake occurs, Tokyo will be fairly damaged. This will be an opportunity. We must be prepared to make the most of the chance," Ido said...
