Japan Press Weekly

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2014 December 17 - 23 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Citizens demand withdrawal of approval of maglev railway construction

A group of more than 5,000 citizens on December 16 filed a complaint with the transport ministry, seeking withdrawal of its approval for the construction work of a maglev railway.

The filing was made by Linear Citizens Net, which consists of residents in seven prefectures along the planned route, based on the Administrative Complaint Investigation Law. The ministry in October approved a railway company’s plan to construct the Tokyo-Nagoya route of the maglev super express railway, which is also known as the linear motor train project. This is one of the key projects of the Abe government’s economic growth strategy.

The written complaint points out that the construction work will severely damage the natural environment as 80% of the planned route runs underground and that how to dispose of the enormous amount of excavated soil has yet to be determined. It also warns that taxpayers’ money may have to be used to cover the losses and cost overruns associated with the maglev railway project. It added that the railway system will consume a large amount of electricity to operate and its magnetic waves could cause adverse effects on human health.

Aiming to launch the operations of the Tokyo-Nagoya route in 2027, Central Japan Railway Co. on December 17 started the construction work by holding ceremonies to pray for safety.


Past related articles
> JCP criticizes gov’t for approving maglev railway construction [October 18, 2014]
> Stop and think if maglev Shinkansen will really enrich our lives [October 1, 2014]
> JCP urges gov’t to not approve maglev railway construction [September 10, 2014]