Shizuoka Governor Yasutomo Suzuki intends to approve the start of construction for the Linear Chuo Shinkansen's Shizuoka section this week [1].

This decision removes the final administrative hurdle for the maglev project, as the Shizuoka section is the only one of seven segments that has not yet begun construction [3]. The project aims to connect Tokyo's Shinagawa station with Nagoya using high-speed magnetic levitation technology.

Governor Suzuki said that the materials required to make a decision on the start of construction are being prepared [4]. He said that he is considering approving the start of work in July [5].

JR Central has faced significant delays in this specific region due to environmental and water-resource concerns raised by the prefecture. Kentaro Takeda, the vice president of JR Central, said the company will work to address the remaining issues [6].

While the approval marks a critical step forward for the project's momentum, the timeline for completion remains distant. Current projections suggest the full line will not open until after 2036 [2].

The Shizuoka section has remained the primary bottleneck for the national infrastructure project. By permitting the start of work, the governor allows JR Central to synchronize this segment with the rest of the Tokyo-Nagoya corridor.

“The materials required to make a decision on the start of construction are being prepared.”

The approval by Governor Suzuki signals a shift from political deadlock to technical execution. While the 2036 timeline indicates that the project is far from completion, removing the Shizuoka bottleneck prevents the entire maglev network from becoming a stranded asset and allows JR Central to finalize its engineering and environmental mitigation strategies for the most contentious part of the route.