VOL. 108 APRIL 2017 THE NEW AGE OF RAIL 6 12 Railways for the World The Fast Train to Kanazawa An interview with Tetsuya Okuda, director- The Shinkansen, driving local economies general of the Railway Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism 8 Japanese Trains in the Birthplace of Rail Rail passengers in the United Kingdom increasingly ride Japan-made trains. 14 Local Railway, Regional Features Treasure How inventive new services help maintain operability 10 Tokyo to Nagoya City in 40 Minutes Japan’s first commercial maglev rail line will open just a decade from now in 2027. 4 22 24 PRIME MINISTER’S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY HOME AWAY FROM HOME DIARY Reinventing the Train The Gaijin Ninja Also COPYRIGHT © 2017 CABINET OFFICE OF JAPAN WHERE TO FIND US The views expressed in this magazine by the interviewees Tokyo Narita Airport terminals 1 & 2 ● JR East Travel Service Center (Tokyo Narita Airport) ● JR Tokyo and contributors do not necessarily represent the views of Station Tourist Information Center ● Tokyo Tourist Information Center (Haneda Airport, Tokyo Metropolitan the Cabinet Office or the Government of Japan. 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Copyright inquiries Information ● Foreign Press Center/Japan ● Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan ● Delegation of the should be made through a form available at: European Union to Japan ● Tokyo University ● Waseda University ● Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University ● Ritsumeikan University ● Kokushikan University ● University of Tsukuba ● Keio University ● Meiji University www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/mailform/inquiry.html ● Osaka University ● Kyushu University ● Kyoto University ● Tohoku University ● Nagoya University ● Sophia University ● Doshisha University ● Akita International University ● International University of Japan 2 | highlighting japan ISSUE 108, APRIL 2017 Theme for APRIL: The New Age of Rail 16 apan’s railways are known Destination Station around the world for their The ekinaka phenomenon technological sophistication Jand high-quality service. In this month’s issue we zoom in some of the elements that define Japan’s railways today and look 20 ahead to the future. Murder on the Limited Express The train genre of mystery story writing 18 The Cockpit Experience How train simulators support Japan’s rail safety record 26 28 30 INNOVATIVE ARTISTS TRADITIONAL CRAFTS JAPAN HERITAGE The Reflective Eye Lords of the Tansu Carving Out a Balance in Kamakura PRODUCTION The Japan Journal ON THE COVER MANAGING EDITOR Osamu Sawaji The New Age of Rail EDITOR Alex Hendy EDITORIAL SUPPORT Jun Ashida, Hitoshi Chiba, Eriko Kiura CONTRIBUTORS Rob Gilhooly, Toshio Matsubara, Takashi Sasaki, Akira Umezawa DESIGN Hirofumi Okadome PHOTOS Rob Gilhooly, Yoshifusa Hashizume, Masatoshi Sakamoto, Satoshi Tanaka VIDEOGRAPHY Satoshi Tanaka APRIL 2017 | 3 Prime Minister's Diary JAPAN-SAUDI ARABIA SUMMIT MEETING n 13 March 2017 Prime anese expatriates in Saudi Arabia, Minister Shinzo Abe who play a central role in deepen- Oheld a summit meeting ing bilateral relations. with the Custodian of the Two Prime Minister Abe and King Holy Mosques King Salman bin Salman exchanged views on coop- Abdulaziz al Saud, King of the eration in the energy field. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. King stated that Saudi Arabia is Prime Minister Abe and King committed to stable supply of Salman welcomed the formula- energy to Japan. tion of the Japan-Saudi Vision Prime Minister Abe and King 2030. Prime Minister Abe stated Salman welcomed the entry into that it will be meaningful to force of the Japan-Saudi Arabia ensure that the reform of the two investment agreement that will Prime Minister Abe and King Salman shake countries’ strategies are intercon- contribute to further strengthen- hands, 13 March 2017 nected organically in a manner that ing trade and investment rela- enhances the diversity, innovative- tions. In addition, the Prime Min- the Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi ness and soft value of their econo- ister requested that Saudi Arabia Arabia and Minister of Defense of mies and societies. Prime Minister promptly lift restrictions on the Japan in September 2016. In rela- Abe expressed his intention to pro- import of Japanese food products. tion to this, Prime Minister Abe mote steadily ambitious coopera- King Salman explained that he welcomed the appointment of the tion in line with the guidance set intends to continue consideration first military attaché to the Royal out in the Japan-Saudi Vision 2030, at an expert level on this matter for Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Tokyo. including through the implementa- the benefit of both countries. Prime Minister Abe stated he tion of the thirty-one priority proj- As for cooperation in the politi- appreciates Saudi Arabia’s efforts ects. Furthermore, the Prime Min- cal and security fields, Prime Min- to tackle terrorism with multi- ister stated that Japan also hopes to ister Abe stated that he hopes to faceted measures and that Japan contribute to realizing the special strengthen coordination in political will make contributions in non- economic zones concept which and security fields, intends to hold military fields such as humanitar- presents a model for Saudi Arabia’s vice foreign ministerial dialogue ian assistance with the conviction economic reform. In relation to promptly, and hopes to promote that ‘‘the best way is to go in the this, the Prime Minister asked King defense cooperation based on the Middle’’ in dealing with the situa- Salman to ensure the safety of Jap- memorandum signed between tion in the Middle East. MEMORIAL CEREMONY MARKING THE SIXTH ANNIVER- SARY OF THE GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE n March 11, Prime Minister nesses Prince and Princess Akishino. tives, the President of the House of Shinzo Abe attended the Following the moment of silence, Councillors, and the Chief Justice of OMemorial Ceremony Mark- the Prime Minister delivered an the Supreme Court gave their memo- ing the Sixth Anniversary of the address. This was followed by the rial addresses. Representatives of Great East Japan Earthquake. The address of His Imperial Highness the bereaved family members also ceremony was held in Tokyo in the Prince Akishino. Afterwards, the delivered addresses, and then the presence of Their Imperial High- Speaker of the House of Representa- participants offered flowers. Photographs and text courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Government of Japan. 4 | highlighting japan Feature THE NEW AGE OF RAIL The New Age of Rail Courtesy of Hitachi Japan’s extensive rail network reaches into all corners of the archipelago and carries more than 9 billion passengers every year, more than any other country in the world. While continuing to make improvements and innovations at home, Japanese companies are now extending their rail technologies and expertise to countries around the world. In this month’s issue we look at some of the characteristics of Japan’s railways today. april 2017 | 5 Feature THE NEW AGE OF RAIL Railways for the World around thirty trillion yen (about 268 billion USD) for infrastructure systems in 2020. With domes- Tetsuya Okuda, tic market demand being expected to decline due director-general of to depopulation, the aging population and the the Railway Bureau declining birthrate, Japanese companies can gain of the Ministry of benefits from seizing on global demand for infra- Land, Infrastructure, structure in terms of their own growth and main- Transport and Tourism taining and passing down technological prowess. What measures is the Japanese government n interview with Tetsuya Okuda, director- implementing to support exports of railway general of the Railway Bureau of the Min- infrastructure? Aistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport Nowadays, it has been common for foreign gov- and Tourism ernments to call for the Japanese government to provide financial support because railway proj- Why has Japan focused on exports of railway ects often require a massive amount of funds. infrastructure in recent years? Considering the current condition, the Japanese According to an estimation made by the Organ- government makes proposals for capital procure- isation for Economic Co-operation and Devel- ment schemes suitable for rail projects initiated opment (OECD), global demand for traffic and by foreign governments helping with ODA loans transportation infrastructure from 2009 to 2015 provided by the Japan International Cooperation stood at an annual average of 388 billion dollars. Agency (JICA) and/or the Japan Bank for Interna- That demand is estimated to increase to an annual tional Cooperation (JBIC) and funding provided average of 585 billion dollars from 2015 to 2030. by the Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Even in the railway sector alone, global demand Corporation for Transport & Urban Development is estimated to increase from an annual average of (JOIN). Also, the Prime Minister and Minister 130 billion dollars to 270 billion dollars. of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism The Japanese government has focused on [MLIT Minister] take the lead in approaching the exports of infrastructure systems in cooperation foreign government leaders. with private companies to revitalize the Japanese