Japan bullet train extension plan under pressure as costs soar

TOKYO -- With the price tag for an extension to Japan's bullet train network expected to soar, concerns are emerging that the project may fail to pass a cost-benefit test that is one condition for starting construction.

The Hokuriku Shinkansen currently runs between Tokyo and Tsuruga, in Fukui prefecture. Extending it to Osaka is now expected to cost as much as 5.3 trillion yen ($36 billion), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism told ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers last Wednesday -- more than double the fiscal 2016 estimate of 2.1 trillion yen.