Transport minister Kazuyoshi Kaneko on Wednesday asked Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) President Masayuki Matsumoto to examine the cost, likely demand and other factors for building a maglev line between Tokyo and Osaka.
The move, based on the shinkansen railway transport improvement law, represents a step toward introduction of the magnetically levitated trains to link the two cities.
While JR Tokai aims to launch the service between the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Chukyo region around Nagoya in 2025, it still faces disagreements over the route with local governments, including Nagano Prefecture.
In his instructions, Kaneko, minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, said the railway should compromise with local authorities over the route and station sites.