TOKYO, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo prosecutors on Friday arrested an official of Kajima Corp. and a former executive of Taisei Corp. for their suspected involvement in bid-rigging over construction work for an Osaka-Tokyo maglev train project.
A special investigation squad from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office looking into the antitrust breach, arrested Takashi Okawa, 67, a former Taisei management director and Ichiro Osawa, 60, Kajima's division manager.
Four major contractors, Obayashi Corp., Kajima Corp., Shimizu Corp. and Taisei Corp. have been under investigation for allegedly predetermining the outcome of bids for the project.
The four major contractors collectively won bids for 15 of the 22 construction projects for a planned maglev train project, Central Japan Railway Co., the operator of the 9 trillion yen (85.05 billion U.S. dollars) project, said.
The maglev train would be the world's first that operates by using superconducting magnetic levitation technology to propel passengers at speeds of up to 500 km per hour, far quicker than Japan's current Shinkansen bullet trains.
The trains are expected to be operational in 2027 between Tokyo and Nagoya, with the route being extended by 2045 to Osaka.
The journey between Tokyo and Nagoya is expected to take about 40 minutes in total.
