Maglev Tunnel Construction Blamed for Road Uplift

Dec 24, 2025 | News On Japan

TOKYO - A road uplift that occurred in a Tokyo neighborhood is believed to have been caused by construction work on the Linear Chuo Shinkansen, with JR Central saying the tunnel excavation was likely responsible for the surface damage.

The company explained that the incident, which took place in a ward of Shinagawa in October, was caused by inadequate frequency and volume of air release from the tunnel boring machine, allowing compressed air to accumulate inside the machine and escape through underground cracks to the surface, where it pushed up the road pavement. As a preventive measure, JR Central said it will add an alert function to ensure excess air does not build up inside the excavation equipment. The company plans to hold a briefing session for local residents in February and will resume construction work after the meeting.

Source: テレ東BIZ

Typhoon No. 24 Raise Flood Risk Across Japan

Western and eastern Japan face a prolonged risk of heavy rain into next week as Typhoon No. 24, a tropical depression and the autumn rain front combine to bring increasingly unstable weather across a wide area, with the typhoon currently located over waters northwest of Okinawa's main island after weakening considerably and losing much of its clearly defined circulation.

Japanese Researcher Wins Ig Nobel Prize

A late former professor at Asahikawa Medical University has won the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine for scientifically examining the proper way to blow the nose, extending Japan's streak of Ig Nobel winners to 20 consecutive years.

Shinkansen Takes on Overnight Travel

Night trains are making a comeback across Japan, with railway operators introducing new overnight services and even experimenting with overnight Shinkansen trains as demand grows for alternatives that combine transportation, accommodation and the experience of traveling through the night.

Bear Attacks Continue as Peak Season Looms

Bear sightings and attacks have been reported across Japan throughout the summer, with animals damaging sheds, attacking livestock and injuring people, while experts warn that autumn is the most dangerous season as bears expand their range in search of food.

Japan to Conduct First Nationwide Survey of Animal Cafes

Japan's Environment Ministry will conduct its first survey of animal cafes, where customers can interact with animals including exotic species, as concerns grow over infection risks, injuries and the welfare burden placed on animals.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Sci-Tech NEWS

Tokyo Plans Self-Driving Ride Trial This Year

An autonomous ride-hailing service developed by British company Wayve launched in London on September 3, with the AI-powered technology also scheduled to begin trial operations in Tokyo by the end of 2026.

Deer Population Surges in Southern Alps

A herd of an estimated 200 to 300 deer has been filmed in the Southern Alps, highlighting a rapidly expanding population that experts warn is damaging mountain ecosystems, stripping vegetation, increasing landslide risks and creating problems across Japan ranging from crop losses to traffic accidents.

Eight Kinki Fault Zones Ranked at Highest Alert Level for Major Earthquakes

The Japanese government has revised its assessment of active faults across the Kinki region for the first time in about 20 years, increasing the number of fault zones considered at the highest level of concern for earthquakes of magnitude 6.8 or greater from three to eight.

Osaka Residents Voice Fears Over Massive Data Center

Residents in Minoh, Osaka Prefecture, have asked the city to take a more active role in explaining and reviewing plans for a large data center to be built on the former site of Osaka University's Minoh Campus, citing concerns over low-frequency noise, loss of sunlight and other potential effects on daily life.

Strong Magnitude 5.9 Earthquake Shakes Tokyo

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake centered in southern Ibaraki Prefecture shook a wide area of the Kanto region at around 2 a.m. on August 23, registering a maximum intensity of lower 5 on Japan's seven-level seismic scale in parts of Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba and Tokyo.

Aphantasia May Affect About 4% of Japanese

A cognitive trait known as aphantasia, in which people are unable to voluntarily form images in their minds despite knowing what objects look like, may affect about 4% of people, highlighting significant differences in how individuals experience memory, imagination and everyday tasks.

Drought Deepens Across Japan

Dangerous heat returned across Japan on August 19, complicating disaster recovery efforts in earthquake-hit Kumamoto and flood-damaged Chiba while unusually low rainfall and limited snowfall pushed reservoirs in several regions toward critical levels.

A Closer Look at Lithium-Air Batteries

Japanese researchers are developing a lithium-air battery that uses oxygen from the atmosphere to store and generate electricity, promising nearly five times the capacity of conventional lithium-ion batteries at less than half the weight and potentially opening the way to far longer electric vehicle driving ranges.

< 2 3 4 5 >