Kyoto's leaders have formally asked the government to consider a new route for the planned Hokuriku Shinkansen Line extension between Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, and Osaka that would see the new line stop in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, and the city of Kyoto.
The request brings the number of candidate routes to five. The bullet train line now terminates in Kanazawa, and will be extended to Tsuruga by 2025. Where to build the new route has become a key economic and political issue for the Kansai region.
With a project team from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party expected to select the best candidate routes by May, and local leaders anxious to get a piece of the action, the issue is likely to have an influence on LDP and Komeito candidates in the Upper House election this summer.