The new mission of high-speed trains - transporting goods

Japan's network of high-speed trains, known as the Shinkansen, is something of a national pride and a symbol of the country's reconstruction after World War II.

But on the route between Tokyo and Osaka, for example, which has 372 departures daily, the average occupancy rate is only 53 percent, writes the Financial Times.

This means that from Monday, the first train dedicated to freight will be in use, initially from Tokyo to Morioka, 500 kilometers north.