The tunnel excavation work became difficult to begin because Taisei Corporation received administrative sanctions for bid-rigging. Niwa (丹羽), president of JR Central, indicated an intention to resume talks promptly after the suspension period ends.
Construction on the Shizuoka section had appeared increasingly likely to begin this year after the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture expressed support for the start of construction in July 2026. However, on 23 October, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism ordered Taisei Corporation to suspend operations as an administrative sanction in connection with a bid-rigging case involving the Linear project. As a result of the sanction, Taisei Corporation was unable to undertake new activities related to private-sector construction projects for 4 months.
As a result, talks and contract renewal efforts aimed at starting construction on the Shizuoka section were deferred until spring 2027, making it difficult to begin construction this year.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ibayashi Tatsunori (井林辰憲) said that “starting construction as soon as possible is important.” Niwa (丹羽), president of JR Central, said that the sanction would have no impact on the overall construction schedule, while explaining that the company’s policy of providing an outlook for the opening date this year remains unchanged.