Shortcut to "Early Opening" of the Linear Central Shinkansen Line
The move of no-confidence against the Shizuoka Governor, who continues to oppose the construction of the Linear Central Shinkansen Line, is attracting much attention.
There is a way to return the construction section to the national government's control.
August 17, 2023, 11:00
Yoichi Takahashi
https://www.zakzak.co.jp/article/20230817-TFT7YZ5KT5KNBHIOZP3V25UBWI/
The Linear Central Shinkansen Line situation has made it difficult to achieve an early opening between Shinagawa and Nagoya in 2027, partly because of the need for more progress in construction in Shizuoka Prefecture.
The Linear Line is said to resist disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, but what is needed to achieve an early opening?
The Linear Line is said to have a maximum speed of 500 km/h, a travel time of 1 hour and 7 minutes between Tokyo and Osaka, a total construction cost of approximately 9 trillion yen (estimate), and an economic effect of roughly 16.8 trillion yen (benefit for 50 years).
The economic benefit is 28 billion yen monthly, so delaying the line's opening would be a blow.
Japan's linear train is characterized by its superconductivity, which allows it to rise about 10 cm above the ground.
China's linear train uses the standard conduction method and rises only about 1 cm above the ground.
The superconductivity system has a longer levitation distance, so contact risk is less.
Because of its high safety, it is resistant to earthquakes and other tremors, and there is no theoretical upper limit to its maximum speed.
On the other hand, standard conductors have a short levitation distance, which may lead to problems and contact during earthquakes, and the maximum speed is 450 km/h at best.
The technological gap between superconductors and standard conductors is overwhelming.
If the Tokaido Shinkansen, Japan's main artery, were affected by a natural disaster such as a significant earthquake, the economy and social activities would suffer a major blow. Still, the Linear Central Shinkansen would provide a contingency plan.
One of the bottlenecks in the construction of the Linear Shinkansen is the authority to grant permission to occupy rivers under the River Law.
Of the 319 km Oi River and its tributaries, the national government controls 25 km upstream from Suruga Bay and 16 km at the Nagashima Dam. In comparison, Shizuoka Prefecture manages 278 km of tributaries from there to the headwaters, so the linear construction portion is under prefectural control.
In addition to the Oigawa River, the Linear Linear construction project involves ordinary rivers that are tributaries of the Oigawa River, which Shizuoka City manages.
Shizuoka Governor Heita Kawakatsu has opposed the linear construction project for over ten years, using his authority to administer the River Act.
*Kawakatsu is an extremely pro-China politician. Most of the public knows that his reason for opposing the project is to benefit China.
Most people assume that he opposes the project so that China, having stolen the technology from JR Tokai, will be the first country in the world to complete the construction of a linear bullet train. *
JR Tokai also responded by saying that if no measures are taken, the flow rate of the Oigawa River will decrease by 2 tons per second and that they will build a "conduit tunnel" to return the water in the tunnel to the Oigawa River.
Shizuoka Prefecture and JR Tokai agreed that the amount of water to be returned to the Oigawa River would exceed the decrease.
Since then, Governor Kawakatsu has raised several issues, and from the outside, it appears that he is opposed to the project for the sake of opposition.
In a sense, dismissing Governor Kawakatsu is the quickest way to start the linear construction.
On July 13, a motion of no confidence in the prefectural governor over the issue of returning salaries and bonuses was rejected with 50 votes in favor and 18 votes against, one vote short of the three-fourths majority required for passage (51 votes).
Opposing the proposal were members of the former Democratic Party of Japan-affiliated prefectural assembly.
It recently discovered that one of the prefectural assembly members who voted against the bill had been driving without a license.
Whether or not that prefectural assembly member will continue to serve as a member of the assembly must also be closely watched by the prefecture's residents.
In addition, the government should consider returning the Oigawa River to its original state management of the Oigawa River and the linear construction section.
After all, the Linear Line was ordered to be constructed by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism in May 2011, based on the National Shinkansen Railway Development Act.
(Yoichi Takahashi, former cabinet counselor and professor at Kaetsu University)
