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First, this DE10 rides up on ice and derails in Akita. While not doubting Japan's well maintained and well operated railways, I have difficulty believing that this has never happened before. Maybe it lost its balance because the digits in its road number aren't on straight, it's really driving me nuts. This is the Akita Rinkai Railway, and while trying to figure out where the hell it actually is (Google Map requires you to be significantly zoomed in to show it), I found that they are unfortunately ending operations in March. At least this guy has an excuse for driving something wildly off course. Location: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7531443,140.0628819,204m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en Then I see this video about a Prius getting onto the tracks in front of a 223 series in Yasu, Shiga at this crossing: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.0835718,136.0449003,314m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en Seems like entering a gated-off area and interfering with operations could have been prevented, you know? Next, there are these inept guys driving a tank truck when its brakes are blown off or something, which naturally times it perfectly to collide with a 183 series on Azusa service. The authorities decide to use a Mitsubishi Montero to try to slow it down. Seems like, I don't know, bad governance or something. Fortunately there's this cool shinkansen-steamer thing at Okama Station. https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7115082,141.0718867,425m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

This is a day or two old now, but JR Hokkaido President Nojima said to the MLIT committee of the upper house of the Diet (doing my best here, not really sure about this ) that JRH will buy 28 new express DMUs and 60 new commuter EMUs by 2016. These will replace some old cars as well as provide new capacity. It will be decided later exactly how many cars will be scrapped, and what lines/areas will get the new equipment. One specific thing mentioned is that some of the new cars will be 733s to replace the 48 711s in service, all of which are to be retired by the end of this year. http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/donai/507045.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/711_series