THE governor of Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture, Yasutomo Suzuki, will sign a natural environment preservation agreement with JR Central on July 18 which will pave the way for the construction of the 25km tunnel under the southern Alps for the Chuo Shinkansen project to resume.
The Yen 7.04 trillion ($US 64.35bn) 500km/h maglev line linking Tokyo with Nagoya has encountered fierce opposition from environmental campaigners in Shizuoka prefecture. In 2020, the previous governor of Shizuoka, Heita Kawakatsu, refused to allow construction due to fears that tunneling beneath the prefecture could reduce water flow in the Oi River, potentially disrupt water supply to the local area and damage the ecosystem of the Southern Alps.
JR Central has researched the issue and presented its latest proposals to address the prefecture’s concerns, and these were accepted by a prefectural panel in March.
Suzuki says JR Central will be required to keep the prefecture updated with accurate and detailed information during construction of the Chuo Shinkansen on its environmental protection measures and the Oi River's water resources.
JR Central expects the 8.9km Shizuoka section to take at least 10 years to complete even if construction starts this year. The opening of the 286km line, on which construction started in 2014, is now expected to be delayed until at least 2036.
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