The White Peril 白禍

It would be very unkind to laugh at the difficulties the new subway line in Tokyo is experiencing:

Services on the newly opened Fukutoshin (Subcenter) Subway Line in downtown Tokyo have been disrupted for four consecutive days since its inauguration on Saturday due to technical problems and errors, its operator said.

"A series of problems were caused by workers' inexperience. We'll assign experienced workers to help out in an effort to ensure punctual operations," said a spokesman for the line's operator, Tokyo Metro Co.

At around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, circuit breakers at Wako and Asaka power substations in Saitama Prefecture were tripped, forcing trains to stop for 30 seconds, according to Tokyo Metro officials.

The trouble delayed trains on the Fukutoshin Line as well as the Yurakucho Line and Tobu Railway Tojo Line, which operate through trains with the trouble-plagued new line, by up to 30 minutes.

The Fukutoshin Line is of special meaning to me, since I walked between Shibuya and Shinjuku Stations via Meiji Avenue several nights a week for years. It was my constitutional. I loved looking at the cranes and earth-moving equipment in the street. I didn't always love the zig-zag temporary sidewalks necessitated by the tunnel construction, but progress requires inconvenience. Much of the hard thinking I did while deciding whether I wanted to stay in Japan took place during these walks.

The new train line probably will help to relieve congestion on the Yamanote Line. I'm not sure I agree (on this as on many other things) with Tokyo Metro Governor Shintaro Ishihara, though:

Prior to its inauguration, an opening ceremony was held at Shinjuku-Sanchome Station in Shinjuku-ku on Friday morning, attended by Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara and other officials.

"Whether an urban area can mature depends on efficient means of transportation. The new line will lead to the vitalization of Tokyo," Ishihara said in his speech.

Yes, of course, he had to say something upbeat. Still, the idea that western Tokyo, along the major artery of Meiji Avenue, needs a new train line to help it "mature," is pretty inane. People already grit their teeth and take the Yamanote Line despite its cattle-car-ish crowds or just use cabs to get from Shibuya to Shinjuku and (if they must) Ikebukuro. The new line won't be useless, but it won't solve the demographic and economic policy problems that have held back the "vitalization" of Tokyo since the Bubble burst. Makes it faster for gay guys to get from Shibuya to Shinjuku 2-chome, though!