>>2045158The numbers don't matter because it's fundamentally a political decision. Because Shinkansen construction is a national/prefecture cost-share, if all parties do not consent it does not work. Further, if local government does not agree, they will hold up permitting, etc. and effectively acts as a veto.
Ultimately, what regional governments want and can get people to support will get built. The national govt can push and cajole, but there's a limit to how far it goes. The national government is free to pay JRTT all by itself and say some bullshit about the project's national importance, but that just tears down the facade of Shinkansen construction laws post-Joetsu, and turns every prefecture off the cost-share
>>2045288It's astounding how many regional airports in Japan are built in the middle of nowhere. I understand there's not always the space for it in the middle of the city of course, but they really go out of their way to make it inconvenient (e.g. Nagasaki Airport, which is 2 Shinkansen stations away from actual Nagasaki).
Anyone remember all those "agricultural airports" they built once and were never flown out of because the jet fuel costs more than the market price of the produce itself? It really makes you thin, where would the country be without pork barrel spending?
