Editing Shinkansen (section)

=== Network expansion ===
The Tōkaidō Shinkansen's rapid success prompted an extension westward to [[Okayama]], [[Hiroshima]] and [[Fukuoka, Fukuoka|Fukuoka]] (the [[San'yō Shinkansen]]), which was completed in 1975.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Taniguchi |first=Mamoru |date=1993 |title=The Japanese Shinkansen |journal=[[Built Environment (journal)|Built environment]] |volume=19 |issue=3/4 |page=216 |jstor=23288577 }}</ref> Prime Minister [[Kakuei Tanaka]] was an ardent supporter of the Shinkansen, and his government proposed an extensive network paralleling most existing trunk lines. Two new lines, the [[Tōhoku Shinkansen]] and [[Jōetsu Shinkansen]], were built following this plan. Many other planned lines were delayed or scrapped entirely as [[Japanese National Railways|JNR]] slid into debt throughout the late 1970s, largely because of the high cost of building the Shinkansen network.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} By the early 1980s, the company was practically insolvent,{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} leading to its privatization in 1987.

Development of the Shinkansen by the privatised regional JR companies has continued, with new train models developed, each generally with its own distinctive appearance (such as the [[500 Series Shinkansen|500 series]] introduced by [[JR West]]). Since 2014, Shinkansen trains run regularly at speeds up to {{convert|320|km/h|mph|round=5|abbr=on}} on the [[Tōhoku Shinkansen]]; only the [[Shanghai maglev train]], [[China Railway High-speed]] networks, and the Indonesian [[High-speed rail in Indonesia|Jakarta-Bandung High-speed]] railway have commercial services that operate faster.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 May 2016 |title=The 10 fastest trains in the world |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-05-18/the-10-fastest-trains-in-the-world |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623192616/https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-05-18/the-10-fastest-trains-in-the-world |archive-date=23 June 2022 |access-date=8 December 2019 |publisher=cntraveler.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 October 2023 |title=雅万高铁助力印尼民众加速奔向美好生活 |trans-title=Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway helps Indonesian people accelerate towards a better life |url=https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202310/content_6908475.htm |website=gov.cn |language=zh |access-date=27 January 2024 }}</ref>{{Update inline|date=January 2024|reason=Extensions in Kyushu and Hokuriku Shinkansen also need to be mentioned.}}

Since 1970, development has also been underway for the [[Chūō Shinkansen]], a planned [[maglev]] line from Tokyo to Osaka. On 21 April 2015, a seven-car [[L0 series]] maglev trainset, planned to be used on the line, set a [[Land speed record for railed vehicles|world speed record]] of {{convert|603|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="guardian20150421" /> The line is expected to operate at {{convert|500|km/h|mph|abbr=on|round=5}}, with the estimated travel time between Tokyo and Osaka taking 67 minutes. Construction commenced in 2011 and was originally scheduled to open in 2027, though it has since been delayed to at least 2034.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=Japan railway firm pushes back maglev plan, possibly to 2034 or later |url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/03/bd9e1d3aec6a-urgent-japan-rail-operator-gives-up-plan-to-launch-maglev-train-in-2027.html |website=Kyodo News+ |access-date=30 December 2024 }}</ref>