DANGAN-TRAIN continued to Tokaido Shinkansen

The Shinkansen under construction was still afflicted by the financial deficit.
Many of the Diet members were dissatisfied with JNR. "Why do you use precious funds for an outdated railroad?", they criticized. JNR submitted a courageous idea. They took out a loan of 80 million dollars(1$=360yen) from the World Bank for this project on May 1st, 1961. This amount of money was a large amount, too much. There were many opposing opinions in the World Bank but, they decided to approve the loan. Incidentally, the payments were completed on this loan in 1981.
The Shinkansen project turned into a national project of Japan by having taken out this loan. Japan under revival from the war took a heavy responsibility. It was no longer allowed to call off the Shinkansen plan according to the domestic situation. The failure meant influencing other national development programs of industrial technology. There was an unexpected ally. The tunnel made at the time of construction of the DANGAN-TRAIN was utilized. Also, there were many of the purchased lots remaining. These, which were considered as useless, were utilized for the Tokaido Shinkansen. This was the reason that the Tokaido Shinkansen was completed in a short period of time of five years. Therefore, the DANGAN-TRAIN plan of the phantom was the leading role of the success of the Tokaido Shinkansen. TOGAWA and YASUZIRO(The father of HIDEO SHIMA) were officers of the South Manchuria Railway. The phantoms of the South Manchuria Railway and the DANGAN-TRAIN continued to the Tokaido Shinkansen.

The economist magazine of Britain in 1998

The Economist magazine of Britain in 1998 wrote a report in this way.
If all the passengers of the Shinkansen turned into a passenger in a car, the people killed in a traffic accident would increase by 1800 persons every year. And probably, the number of injured persons would increase by 10000.

The airport in Japan is so overcrowded that it is fearful even now. Probably, the number has become insufficient absolutely. However, the land is not in a big city. Probably, it has the possibility of a big airplane accident.

Also the highways may be violently congested. They stop the physical distribution. Probably, they stagnate a high growth of Japan. Furthermore, they probably had a fatal influence on the natural environment of Japan. And Japan may have become far from the society of energy saving.

The success of the Shinkansen spread the rapid transit railway throughout the world. This has been hugely helpful to the protection of the environment and the earth. The Shinkansen is progressing technology still now. As for the top speed, no less than 320 km/h is realistic.

The Shinkansen built to travel to Sapporo in Hokkaido will recapture the passengers from airplanes.
It is becoming realistic in respect of the time required by the progress of technology.

Also, in Haneda Airport, a margin has been produced. It seems that the Hokkaido Shinkansen can fulfill the request of the entrance of the airplane in every country in the world.

A success of the Shinkansen influences on Japan.

The success of the Shinkansen had various influences on Japan and the world.
Since October, 2009, the time it takes to travel between Tokyo-Station and Shin-Osaka is 2 hours and 25 minutes. The top speed operates at 270 km/h. The Tokaido Shinkansen has become indispensable as a means for carrying out high-speed movement between the two biggest cities in Japan, Tokyo and Osaka. There are about 300 trains operated per day. The Tokaido Shinkansen is a train line which has the top-class operating income in the world. Probably, Japan would have reached a serious situation if it was not for the Tokaido Shinkansen. The conventional main Tokaido line took about 7 hours from Tokyo to Osaka. Since the gap the fare with an airplane was more expensive, the Shinkansen became popular. However, the fares of the large-sized airplane fell so the passengers had a choice to take an airplane.
The same phenomenon happened to change the means of transportation of the passengers between Tokyo and Sapporo. 90% of the passengers who travel between Tokyo and Sapporo go by airplane. The number of passengers on that air route is the world's No.1. When carrying all the visitors of the Tokaido Shinkansen by airplane, a further 9 times as many airplanes are required.
If it was a bus for 40 persons, an operation with a 10-second interval would be required.

Two persons' SAMURAI of SHIKANSEN

SOGO submitted a proposal of the budget of a small sum to Parliament.
He to whom this has courage fought as his manager. This was a strategy. The building program of the Shinkansen was recognized in Parliament in 1958. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on April 20th, 1959. The Diet members were surprised. The total cost of the construction was corrected from the schedule from the beginning. It changed to 380 billion yen. This also caused a rapid rise of the price of land. SOGO had refused construction of a new route which resulted in a local loss. Originally, his judgment was right. Otherwise, he completed a railroad reservation system called MARS which was famous around the world. It is a result of the MARS system. Completion of this system greatly contributed to the progress of Japanese computers. Moreover, he accepted construction of the longest Seikan Tunnel in the world for the Shinkansen to Hokkaido.
It was all an important investment for present Japan. However, the local Diet members blamed him. He resigned as President of JNR just before completion of the Shinkansen. SHIMA who was the chief engineer also resigned from JNR.
They were not invited to the ceremony of the launch of the first Shinkansen, either. Were it not for these two people there wouldn't have been an economical development for present Japan. This is not an exaggeration.

The Next big construction in the world. SHINKANSEN

Those days, in the West, high-speed transportation of airplanes and highways were considered to be the newest means of transportation. The railroad was already considered to be an inconvenient outdated vehicle. Even in Japan, many politicians and scholars had such an opinion. Therefore, even the personnel of JNR were dissatisfied with the plan to build the Shinkansen.
Hiroyuki Agawa, a Japanese railroad fan's famous writer, said "There are three absurdly big constructions in the world. They are the construction of Battleship YAMATO, construction of the Great Wall, and construction of the pyramids. These are three foolishly big constructions in the world which are not helpful. And the construction of the Shinkansen is the same as the construction of the 2nd battleship YAMATO. Although Battleship YAMATO was a large-sized battleship, it was sunk by the power of the airplane. Construction of the Shinkansen is the same. It is too outdated and a foolish waste of money. Now, airplanes and cars are state-of-the-art means of transportation. This outdated management of the Shinkansen will go wrong and will be ridiculed by the world."
He and a newspaper criticized the plan of the Shinkansen in this way. Such opinions were actually many opinions of people of those days and the government. There were other problems. The economy of Japan of those days was still at the struggling to revive following the defeat. Japan was insufficient of funds to perform the carpentry of such huge, new technology.

SHINKANSEN were called the outdated fool!

In the 1950s, the demand of transportation on the railroads through revival of the Pacific War grew rapidly. Especially the transport capacity of the main Tokaido line which was the primary important main line in Japan of those days and had almost reached its limit. Whole-line electrification of the main Tokaido line was completed at last in 1956. However, the shortage of transport capacity was still serious. In 1957, JNR planned to reinforce the transport capacity of the main Tokaido line. It had the following three proposals: One proposal was to make the main Tokaido line of the existing narrow gauge a four-track line. Another was a proposal to completely reconstruct the track with another double track. It had a proposal of a standard orbit, and a proposal of a narrow gauge. Originally for reinforcement of the transport capacity of Tokaido, JNR must have determined the proposal of the four-track line. However, President SOGO JNR and a SHIMA engineer considered the possibilities of the future railroad and they dared to determine construction of the new line with an orbit of the width of difficult international standards. It resembled the DANGAN-TRAIN plan of the pre-war days. By progress of post-war technology, it became a completely innovative design. However, it was too difficult a plan. It was not only technically difficult but they were also called outdated fools from the world or Japanese people. They put up with criticism and blame.

The limited express train 3000 type SE series

The Electric Multiple-Unit was even able to gather high speed with the track laid in a weak foundation. However, when the Shinkansen was planned, the steam locomotive was still mainly being used. Moreover, the system of traction by an engine was also the main one used throughout the world. This situation has not changed even now. In the West, there is often traction by an engine. However, JNR of those days had many trains which were still towed by an engine. This was also the plan for the DANGAN-TRAIN. However, TAKEO SHIMA which was a chief engineer understood the possibilities of trains in Japan. This became a large cause of the success of the present Shinkansen. In 1950, the 80 series Electric Multiple-Unit developed by the SHIMA engineer's initiative became a prototype of the Shinkansen. This success brought about the result that the train was excellent also in long-distance operation.
Odakyu Electric Railway, which is a private line in Tokyo, manufactured streamlined limited express 3000 type trains with Electric Multiple-Unit "SE series" in 1957. This was the design influenced by the "electro liner" developed in the United States in 1941. The highest speed was nearing 145 km/h. JNR borrowed the SE series from Odakyu for the purpose of research of high speed operation. JNR did speed tests of the SE series on the main Tokaido line in September, 1957. It attained 145 km/h. It was a world speed record in a narrow gauge railway in those days.