Shinkansen travel at an average speed of 300 kilometers per hour, connecting major cities nationwide. Since its launch in 1964, there have never been any accidents (involving shinkansen) that have caused injury or death, so now its reputation for safety is known the world over. In December a fault that could have caused a tragic accident occurred on a shinkansen. A train bound for Tokyo leaving from Hakata, Kyushu, continued on to Nagoya despite the fact that passengers had noticed an unusual smell. On inspection, a 14-centimeter crack was found on a 17-centimeter section of the train’s frame. This had become a serious issue that could have caused a derailment. The reason why the train continued on its journey was because Japanese people expect trains to run on time. An incident that typifies (this practice) occurred in November. The Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company apologized to passengers for departing 20 seconds earlier than scheduled. This surprised the world’s media who reorted their actions as being excessive. Japanese railway companies apologize via train announcements whenever there is a delay of a few minutes, and passengers can receive a slip at their destination (station) to prove they were delayed. On the other hand, it is said that the yearly average delay for a shinkansen is 36 seconds. You might say this issue occurred because they were trying to balance safety concerns with punctuality.