The Chuo Shinkansen (中央新幹線 Chūō Shinkansen) is a Japanese maglev line under construction between Tokyo and Nagoya, and planned to be extended to Osaka. Its initial section is between Shinagawa Station in Tokyo and Nagoya Station in Nagoya, with stations in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture, and Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture, as well as an as yet undetermined location in Nagano Prefecture. The line is expected to connect Tokyo and Nagoya in 40 minutes, and eventually Tokyo and Osaka in 67 minutes, running at a maximum speed of 505 km/h (314 mph). About 90% of the 286-kilometre (178 mi) line to Nagoya will be built underground or through tunnels, with a minimum curve radius of 8,000 m and a maximum grade of 4% (1 in 25). The Chuo Shinkansen is the culmination of Japanese maglev development since the 1970s, a government-funded project initiated by Japan Airlines and the former Japanese National Railways (JNR). Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) now operates the facilities and research. The line is intended to be built by extending and incorporating the existing Yamanashi test track (). The trainsets themselves are popularly known in Japan as Linear Motor Car (リニアモーターカー rinia mōtā kā), though there have been many technical variations. Government permission to proceed with construction was granted on May 27, 2011. Construction of the line, which is expected to cost over ¥9 trillion, commenced in 2014. JR Central aims to begin commercial service between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027, with the Nagoya-Osaka section to be completed by 2045. JR Central is considering operating a demonstration service from a new station in Kōfu by the 2020 Summer Olympics so that tourists can ride on the experimental track through the Yamanashi mountains.

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