日本語

A new Shinkansen tunnel is being planned to be built through Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto.

The tunnel will run from north to south, connecting the Hokuriku and Kansai, providing faster travel in this region.

However, since there is already an express service, a new Shinkansen line is not necessary.
 
While Japan is a country with few natural resources, 70% of the country is covered in mountains providing an abundance of fresh water.

This water is at the heart of much of Japan’s culture.

The Shinkansen tunnel is going to destroy three such sources in Kyoto　(Please refer to https://miyama-no-shinkansen.net/english/ for details).
 
1. The upstream stretch of the Yura River.
This area is dotted with many traditional thatched houses which are　UNESCOcultural heritage properties.

The scenic villages, which have so far been spared from large-scale development,
are highly appreciated by tourists worldwide.

At the rivers’ headwaters, there is a pristine forest that has been left almost　untouched by man and is very valuable for its biodiversity.
 
2. The upstream stretch of the Katsura River.
This is a forestry area that has supported the construction of the ancient capital since the 8th century.

The felled timber in this area was transported down the Katsura River and through the difficult Hozu Gorge to the city of Kyoto. Many of the vegetables that make up the food of Kyoto are also grown in this area.
 
3. The upstream stretch of the Kamo River.
The Kamo River flows directly into the ancient capital of Kyoto and is the source of the city's abundant groundwater.

This is the backbone of Kyoto’s unique cuisine and culture, which has been refined over the last 1200 years which includes tofu, fu, sake, dyeing, as well as the　gardens of temples and shrines.
 
The construction of the Shinkansen is a huge undertaking, with a total length of 143 km.

The tunneling will produce large amounts of wasted earth, likely to contain arsenic and other toxic substances.

15 years of construction will transform the tranquil valleys that nourish these
rivers, depriving them of their vitality, severing their underground water courses.

It will also destroy the livelihoods of the people who have protected this area for so long.
As citizens, we believe that this construction is unnecessary.

We believe that taxpayer money should be spent more wisely on what needs to be done now for the sake of the planet and the future.
 
“The reasons we demand a full and complete withdrawal of this plan”
 
1. The reason for choosing the Obama-Kyoto route has not been explained　whatsoever to local residents
 
Originally in deciding the Hokuriku-Shinkansen route from Tsuruga to Osaka,
the Maibara route had been chosen by the Union of Kansai Governments and proposed to the Japanese government in March 2013. After　the Ruling Parties’Shinkansen Construction Project Team launched a committee　to evaluate the Hokuriku-Shinkansen Tsuruga-Osaka Route,the route plan was suddenly re-evaluated, with the committee deciding to adopt the Obama-Kyoto route out of three plans which were: Maibara route, Obama-Kyoto route, and Maizuru-Kyoto Route. To this day, the reason why the Obama-Kyoto route was prioritized over the Maibara route, which was the lowest-cost and most cost-effective,has not been disclosed to the public in any manner.
 
2. The Obama-Kyoto route is not economically feasible and results in losses
 
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism calculated the benefit-cost ratio of the Obama-Kyoto route to be 1.05 (2017.) This calculation is based on an unrealistic scenario that in 2045, the same number of Shirasagi Express (Nagoya-Kanazawa) passengers will travel from Nagoya to Kyoto by Tokaido Shinkansen and then switch to Hokuriku Shinkansen, travelling from Kyoto to Kanazawa. The Shinkansen construction fees from the past show that the cost always rose significantly from when the plans were approved to when the　construction started (e.g. at the time of approval, the construction for the Kanazawa-Tsuruga route of Hokuriku Shinkansen was estimated as 1.1858 trillion yen, going up to 1.
6759 trillion yen (present).) That is to say that the cost-effectiveness of the Obama-Kyoto route is likely to be far below 1.
 
3. The construction of the Obama-Kyoto route will destroy the environment on a large scale
 
Eighty percent of the Obama-Kyoto route, which is 143km in total, is going to be tunnels, which will generate enormous amounts of surplus earth and dramatically change the groundwater environment,
 

  (1) Destroys the environment in the upstream area of the Yura and Katsura rivers within the Tanba Highland National Park
 (2) Increases the risk of landslides in relevant areas, from surplus earth.
 (3) Raises the issue of where to dump the surplus earth with arsenic (earth that requires treatment)
 (4) Lowers and partly decreases the groundwater in the Kyoto Basin
 
4. Construction of the Obama-Kyoto route is detrimental to the Paris Agreement and to achieving SDGs
 
Currently climate change is increasingly causing abnormal climate disasters around the world, making it a pressing issue to restrict the use of fossil fuel.

In 2021, the former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga internationally announced Japan’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas by 2030, by 46% of the emissions in 2013. Cross-industry energy-saving efforts and switching to renewable energy are integral in achieving this commitment. Extending the Shinkansen that will involve large-scale development and constructions as well as enormous use of electricity is a move that goes totally against this direction.
 
5. Construction of the Obama-Kyoto route has not considered the decreasing business use from teleworking. It also overlooks the quality of travel.
 
COVID has turned countless businesses to teleworking. The effect of shortening the working hours by Shinkansen cannot surpass the speed of teleworking.

Meanwhile, when one travels by train, the view from the window is an essential appeal of travel. With famed sightseeing spots along the Hokuriku Shinkansen area, passengers, including overseas tourists, must consist of a high percentage of people travelling for leisure.

Will they choose as a means of transport a Shinkansen that is like a metro, with hardly any view from the window? In 15 years, cars will be imposing less environmental impact. The cost of transport is likely to drop significantly from autonomic driving.

Construction of this Shinkansen is like constructing a huge subway without scenery. (As it ignores the quality of travel it may result in a decrease of passengers.)