Since the opening of the Shinkansen 1964, there have been no major passenger casualties, but it is by no means "zero casualties" or "zero accidents". There have been many failures and accidents in the history of Shinkansen, and sometimes even came to the brink of great disaster. In addition to effective safety measures, it is also largely due to good luck. Shinkansen has something commendable in terms of safety, but it should not be too mythical.

Before discussing the safety of Shinkansen, we must first understand what Shinkansen is. Because many people, including many media, lack understanding of Japanese railways, they can't tell the difference between fresh trunk lines and incoming lines, JR and private railways &; The difference between subways often takes it for granted that all railways in Japan are "Shinkansen", so it is also called "Shinkansen accident" when the operation failure of Tokyo Yamanote Line, a commuter railway in the city occurs. The accident of Xinle Plateau Railway, a local railway with single-track internal combustion, is also called "Shinkansen accident". ..................................................................... and Japanese laws and regulations define Shinkansen as "a trunk railway with trains running at a normal speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour in main sections". Because the normal running speed of 200-250 kilometers per hour is generally regarded as the dividing line between "high-speed railway" and traditional railway in the world, Shinkansen = Japan high-speed railway.