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Shinkansen

The Shinkansen ( new main line), also known as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the 210 km/h (130 mph) Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the now 2,459 km (1,528 mi) long network has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū at speeds up to 300 km/h (186 mph). Test runs have reached 443 km/h (275 mph) for conventional rail in 1996, and up to a world record 581 km/h (361 mph) for maglev trainsets in 2003.

Shinkansen literally means new trunk line, referring to the tracks, but the name is widely used inside and outside Japan to refer to the trains as well as the system as a whole. The name Superexpress (chō-tokkyū), initially used for Hikari trains, was retired in 1972 but is still used in English-language announcements and signage.

The Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the world's busiest high-speed rail line. Carrying 151 million passengers a year (March 2008),it has transported more passengers (over 6 billion) than any other high speed line in the world. Between Tokyo and Osaka, the two largest metropolises in Japan, up to ten trains per hour with 16 cars each (1,300 seats capacity) run in each direction with a minimum of 3 minutes between trains. Though largely a long-distance transport system, the Shinkansen also serves commuters who travel to work in metropolitan areas from outlying cities.

JR East has announced that the E5 Series of trains, capable of up to 320 km/h (199 mph), is to be introduced coinciding with the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen extension from Hachinohe to Shin-Aomori in early 2011. Extensive trials using the Fastech 360 test trains has shown that operation at 360 km/h (224 mph) is not currently feasible because of problems of noise pollution, overhead wire wear, and braking distances. This may indicate the limits to railed Shinkansen technology, and eventually maglev or another technology will need to replace it. Operation at speeds of up to 320 km/h between Utsunomiya and Shin-Aomori is expected to allow journey times of around 3 hours for trains from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori (a distance of approximately 675 km (419 mi)).

Japan gave its nation reason to cheer

The face of defeat was red, the eyes wet, the gaze downcast. Yuichi Komano made a slow, sad walk through a media gauntlet behind Loftus Versfeld Stadium known as the Mixed Zone.But there was nothing mixed about his emotions. Komano was distraught, a Blue Samurai too blue to speak, looking as if he'd let a whole nation down.

The Japanese defender's penalty kick against Paraguay slammed off the crossbar, the only miss in the 2010 World Cup's first overtime shootout. The South Americans advanced to the quarterfinal, 5-3 on PKs, their Cinderella story intact, while Japan's wonderful run was halted by mere inches.

That's the sometimes-terrible beauty of this event. A whole world watches as a man gives everything he has for two hours, then sees all that effort melt away in the instant that a round piece of plastic hurtles into a metal pipe.

Up to that moment, Komano had been one of the shining lights of the match. He and the rest of the Japanese defense, particularly back-line mate Marcus Tulio Tanaka, successfully defused every attack from the supposedly superior Paraguayan side.

Komano sprinted across the field from his right back spot to calmly dispatch a dangerous Paraguayan counterattack in the 35th minute, and intercepted several long balls. More than that, he made himself an offensive threat all game, launching a dangerous shot in the third minute and setting up Japanese scoring chances with forward runs and nifty passes to roving midfielder Keisuke Honda.

Japan was faster, more creative and defended better than Paraguay for the entire match, but just couldn't find the goal.

Yet in spite of the ending, the story of the Japanese team wasn't a tearjerker. For two weeks, it was a roaring good time. The U.S. wasn't the only baseball-loving economic giant whose soccer team captured the country's imagination.

Other than the Blue Samurai's coach, Takeshi Okada, who was laughed at when he said his team would make the semifinals, nobody expected Japan to finish better than last in its first-round group, let alone make the second round. Least of all the Japanese.

Japanese journalists here said Komano won't be a goat for his miss; he and the rest of the team gave the country too much to cheer about. Throngs of fans are expected to greet the team at the airport.

Still, coming so close will sting for a while. Asked what his thoughts were when the game finally ended, Okada, the drained coach, was succinct.

"It's the end," he said. "The end of our World Cup."

But while Komano may not believe it, it's not the end of the world.

G-20 Nations Wonder: How Soon Is Too Soon to Cut Spending?

This weekend, leaders and top finance officials from the world's twenty biggest economies gather in Toronto, Canada. One of the big issues to discuss is how and when to reduce deficits and economic growth measures as conditions improve.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is defending Germany's decision to cut spending by one hundred billion dollars over four years. But some experts say the world economy is still too weak for Europe's biggest country to reduce spending.

Earlier this year, Germany was slow to react to the Greek debt crisis. European countries later had to agree to a nearly one trillion dollar rescue for the euro area.

Other countries including Britain, France and Japan have also announced cuts. But American Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says: "Without growth now, deficits will rise further and undermine future growth."

Economists also point out that spending cuts alone do not solve the problems of countries with structural economic problems.

G-20 nations are also struggling with financial reform issues. These include new rules for risky financial products and closer supervision of banks.

This week, Britain's finance minister announced a new tax on big banks. Germany and France are considering similar measures to pay for future financial problems. President Obama proposed the idea for the United States in January. But how many countries will join Britain is not clear.

Nineteen countries and the European Union form the Group of 20, including developing economies like Brazil, China, India and Russia. Economist Sebastian Mallaby at the Council on Foreign Relations says G-20 nations should work together on financial reforms.

G-20 nations also face the issue of trade imbalances, like the one between the United States and China. As recently as last week China said it would not discuss the dispute over its currency at the Toronto summit. But last Saturday China announced it will slowly let the value of the yuan rise. This week, it reached its highest exchange rate in two years.

China's export prices may rise, but an American diplomat said the action "takes an irritant off the table in the U.S.-China relationship."