The government will provide backing for the early opening of a privately-built magnetic-levitation train link between Nagoya and Osaka that's currently planned to start running in 2045, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
It will help provide Japan with 21st-century infrastructure, Abe said Wednesday at a news conference in Tokyo, without giving further details.
Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) is developing the ¥9 trillion ($82 billion) line, and tested a maglev train a year ago at a record 603 kph.
The Nagoya-Tokyo segment of the route is scheduled to open in 2027. Japanese officials have been pushing for the line to begin operations earlier.
JR Tokai is also trying to interest governments abroad in the technology.
"We're very grateful that Abe has offered to support opening the Nagoya-Osaka link early," JR Tokai President Koei Tsuge said in an emailed statement Wednesday.
"The details are to be decided, but we will do our utmost to start work on the link soon after the Nagoya opening, while maintaining a healthy and stable dividend."