Shikoku Shinkansen

The Shikoku Shinkansen (Shikoku Shinkansen) is a general term for the basic planned Shinkansen routes connecting Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku. There are two planned routes : the Shikoku Shinkansen and the Trans-Shikoku Shinkansen. Together with the Chūō Shinkansen and Trans-Kyushu Shinkansen, it is a high-speed railway plan for Western Japan that constitutes the Pacific New National Axis in the" Grand Design for the National Land in the 21st Century". Although it is not included in the planned Shinkansen, since 2011, in response to the results of a basic survey, there has been active promotion to upgrade it to a planned development plan. It is expected that the extension of the Linear Chūō Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka Station will be realized as early as 2037, and a "super mega-region" will be formed by integrating the three major metropolitan areas. The Shikoku Shinkansen Development Promotion Association is aiming to open the Shikoku Shinkansen in 2037 to coincide with this. After the opening of the Chūō Shinkansen, travel times between Tokyo and Tokushima, Takamatsu, Matsuyama, and Kochi will all be in the two-hour range, with the exception of transfers at Shin-Osaka.

Since fiscal 2017, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has been conducting a survey on the "Form of Trunk Railway Network, etc." to collect basic data on transport density and time distance between major cities, research into efficient Shinkansen development methods including the construction of single-track Shinkansen lines, methods for increasing the speed of conventional lines, and methods for connecting with existing trunk railways.

Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku), the operator of the Shikoku Shinkansen, has included the introduction of the Shinkansen in its medium- to long-term management plans leading up to 2030, "Long-term Management Vision 2030," and "Medium-term Management Plan 2025".