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JR Maglev: The Government Needs to Take a Stand

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has issued an interim report on the issue of Shizuoka Prefecture's refusal to allow construction to begin on a tunnel in the prefecture because of concerns about the impact on water resources.

Regarding the possibility that the construction of an underground tunnel in the Southern Alps will reduce the flow of the Oi River, which flows through the prefecture, the report states, "If the spring water from the construction is returned to the river appropriately, the impact on the flow of the middle and lower reaches of the river and groundwater will be small. Now that the experts have reached a certain conclusion, we hope that the talks will be accelerated.

However, the prefectural government says that further consultations are needed on the report, as it does not indicate how the spring water will be returned to the ground after construction begins.

We hope that JR will continue to provide careful explanations to local governments to gain their understanding. JR should continue to provide detailed explanations to the local governments to gain their understanding, and at that time, in addition to taking thorough measures to protect the environment, it should also show its full cooperation in local development.

The Linear-Magnetics Shinkansen is a new national artery that will connect Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka in as little as one hour, and is considered a national project. It will also serve as an alternative route to the Tokaido Shinkansen in the event of an earthquake or other disaster. However, due to delays in the start of construction in Shizuoka Prefecture and other factors, the opening of the Tokyo-Nagoya line, which was originally scheduled for 2027, is now certain to be delayed.

Summary of Japanese Media Reports https://www.sankei.com/article/20211231 ... ENDXQFXXI/ Accessed December 30, 2021

How accurate are the records of the Maglev meetings?

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has released an interim report on the Oi River, which seems not to reflect the latest discussions at the recent meetings.

　With regard to the soil (overburden) generated by tunnel excavation, the interim report stated, "If appropriate treatment and management is continued, we do not believe that it will have an impact on the quantity and quality of surface water and groundwater.
　At the meeting, several members of the committee raised the issue of placing leftover soil along the river in the upstream area when the soil contains heavy metals exceeding the standard. There was no indication that they landed on the phrase "will not cause any impact.

　The interim report also stated that "the impact on the volume of groundwater in the middle and lower reaches is extremely small compared to the impact of seasonal and annual fluctuations in river flow (900 million to 1.5 billion tons per year at the Igawa Dam site). At the meeting, the committee members asked each other, "How about saying, 'It is estimated to be at most 10% of the river flow (surface water volume)'? There is a considerable amount of subjectivity involved in "small" and "large. It would be more appropriate to write objective facts," but this was not reflected in the report.

　The interim report does not clearly indicate the interpretation of "extremely small. At the meeting, Dr. Miki Oki, a professor at the University of Tokyo, expressed the view that the amount of groundwater is equivalent to "0 to 100 million tons per year" based on the estimation of the amount of groundwater that continues to flow underground from upstream to downstream. However, at a press conference after the meeting, Shuji Eguchi, a technical advisor at the ministry's railroad bureau, explained his interpretation of "plus or minus 300 million tons per year" based on the amount of fluctuation in surface water. Another official from the ministry said, "It refers to the tendency for the extent of the decline in the groundwater level to become smaller south of Sawarajima (the exit of the water conduit tunnel).

　Regarding the description in the interim report, Taro Tokai, coordinator for environmental measures at the Ministry's Railway Bureau, said, "The draft was prepared by the secretariat," and added, "Not everything can be discussed at the meeting because time is limited. Different committee members have different views of the interim report. It doesn't mean that everything will be resolved in the interim report," he explained.

　On April 28, the ministry asked the prefecture to submit questions on the interim report to the ministry as a special committee of the prefectural expert committee. The ministry said it will exchange opinions and share information with the prefectural side. Yuichi Morishita, a visiting professor at Shizuoka University who also serves as the chairman of the expert committee and a member of the MLIT expert panel, said in an interview that he thinks the minutes of the meeting are more important than the interim report.

　＜The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) publishes the minutes of each meeting of the expert panel without naming the members. However, the Shizuoka Shimbun, based on its coverage of the meeting, included the names of the committee members in the minutes. After checking whether the parts of the minutes that were said were in line with the purpose of the actual statements, the newspaper publishes them on its digital news medium, "Your Shizuoka Shimbun.

Source: Sections of the text translated from: https://www.at-s.com/news/article/shizuoka/1006483.html Accessed 2021-12-31