Hokkaido bullet train extension delayed 8 years, rattling local communities

Shinkansen link key to redevelopment projects on northern Japanese island

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The Hokkaido Shinkansen now serves only the southern part of the island. (Photo by Masatoshi Ida)

HAJIME TSUKADA

SAPPORO, Japan -- With the extension of shinkansen bullet train service to Sapporo now delayed until the end of fiscal 2038, communities along the planned link in Hokkaido are fretting over the potential blow to regional development.

The Hokkaido Shinkansen runs to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, in the south of the island. Construction on an extension north to Sapporo, Hokkaido's largest city, began in 2012. The line was initially scheduled to begin operations in fiscal 2035, with the target year later changed to fiscal 2030.

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