Japan's maglev project in focus as Shizuoka election campaign starts

Official campaigning for the Shizuoka gubernatorial election began Thursday, with the outcome likely to decide the future of Japan's beleaguered high-speed maglev train project that was delayed by opposition from the outgoing governor.Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu has been an outspoken critic of Central Japan Railway Co.'s Linear Chuo Shinkansen, citing environmental concerns as his reason for opposing the project. The line from Tokyo to Osaka is planned to pass through a short section of Shizuoka Prefecture's north with trains traveling up to 500 kilometers per hour.The line's first leg fr…READ FULL ARTICLE