Japan to postpone plan to extend Hokkaido Shinkansen Line by 2031

The Japanese government is set to postpone its plan to extend the Hokkaido shinkansen bullet train line to Sapporo by the spring of 2031 amid delays in construction and the city’s plan to abandon its bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics, government sources said Saturday.

The transport ministry and Hokkaido Railway Co. will arrange a new deadline, but the 212-kilometer extension project between Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto and Sapporo still faces a labor shortage in the construction sector, which is expected to worsen when Japan introduces new overtime regulations in 2024.

The move comes as a part of t...