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The Chuo Shinkansen is the culmination of Japanese maglev development since the 1970s,
a government-funded project initiated by Japan Airlines and the former Japanese National Railways (JNR).

Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) now operates the facilities and research.

The line is intended to extend and incorporate the existing Yamanashi test track.

The trainsets are popularly known in Japan as linear motor car
(リニアモーターカー, rinia mōtā kā),
though there are many technical variations.

Government permission to proceed with construction was granted on 27 May 2011.

Construction is expected to cost over ¥9 trillion (approximately 82 billion USD)
and commenced in 2014.

The start date of commercial service is unknown, after Shizuoka Prefecture denied permission for construction work on a portion of the route in June 2020.

JR Central originally aimed to begin commercial service between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027.

However, in 2024, Central Japan Railway Co President Shunsuke Niwa said that due to construction delays a 2027 opening was now impossible
and it is not expected to open until at least 2034.

The Nagoya–Osaka section was planned to be completed as late as 2045,
but the date was moved to as early as 2037 following a loan from the Japanese government.