Hideo Shima, Developer Of Japan's `Bullet Train,' Dies At 96

TOKYO - Hideo Shima, 96, the developer of Japan's Shinkansen, or "bullet train," died today at a Tokyo hospital from a blockage of blood to the brain, a family member said.

As the top engineer at the former state-run Japanese National Railways (JNR), Mr. Shima designed the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet-train network from initial planning and track layout to electrical facilities and the distinctive design of the train cars.

Mr. Shima resigned from the JNR, partly to take responsibility for cost overruns on the Shinkansen project, in 1963, one year before the train began service between Tokyo and Osaka.

The train, nicknamed for its bullet-shaped nose, ran at speeds up to 138 mph when service began on Oct. 1, 1964, traveling the curve-filled 324-mile route between Japan's two largest cities.

The train, unveiled to coincide with the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, was seen as a symbol of Japan's economic strength.

An improved bullet train now runs up to 169 miles per hour.

A native of Osaka, Mr. Shima joined the former railway ministry in 1925 after graduating from the machinery and engineering department of Tokyo Imperial University.

In 1969, Mr. Shima assumed the top post of the National Space Development Agency of Japan, spearheading the nation's early space-development projects. He retired from the agency's top post in 1977.

In 1994, he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit from the Japanese government.

Mr. Shima is survived by two sons and a daughter.