〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜
（英文文字起こし）
The feature is titled “An Express Train Hurries Through the Japanese Space”
The builders promote the advantages - joy and freedom - it will offer to Japanese citizens. On a construction site in the heart of the city, the endeavors for ´even more freedom´ are going on. This is a place where the underground line of Maglev (?) is going to pass – they are digging more than 40 m deep, presumably every day the tunnel is advancing about 20 m westwards. In two years it will reach Denén chôfu, one of the fashionable districts of Tokyo. Miki Hikoyuki lives there, he would prefer the train did not arrive in his district. Together with 24 locals, he brings the case to court, demanding the interruption of the project. “We fear, that the continuous tremor caused by the drill is going to destabilize our houses, to say nothing of the incessant noise.” The locals think, that the project violates the constitutional right to a peaceful life. Yamanashi Mikiko upholds a similar opinion. She recently painted her house. The magnet train is planned to run 10 meters in front of her house, underground. “I am concerned about the consequences, and I ask myself if we really need this train. Japan´s population decreases and our country is endangered by earthquakes. And there is one more problem: if the tunnel is achieved, the value of the houses is going to decrease dramatically. We can see that in a place, where the terrain collapsed after the tunnel was built. That was in Chôfu, ca 20 km to the west, where the soil collapsed and left a big hole. A couple of holes was discovered around the tunnel and the project had to be stopped. Local people must accept the sinking value of their houses, because the government voted a law in 2001, which allows tunnels to be built under housed districts, provided they are more than 40 m deep. "The law is due to lobbying by an influential member of the railway company”, Mr. Miki told us. “We may get a couple of politicians from the opposition on our side, but the reigning Liberal Party is very strong.” However, there are in Japan three more protest initiatives, who oppose it. Magnet trains are practical, but they can only be built along straight lines, and so they must pass districts with a high population. The initial plan to finish this line in 2027 has meanwhile been abandoned. The government is however highly interested in this project, because it has already invested much money in a similar project in America – a train connecting Washington to Baltimore. We had an interview with the organizers, who hope to pass an investigation concerning environmental problems, and building it next year. However, Baltimore has already stopped the project. 
From Tokyo: Katrin Erdmann