Japan’s ‘bullet train’ turns 50

It was 50 years ago that Japan first introduced the world to the bullet train, also known as Shinkansen.

And to showcase just how far they have come since then, Japanese rail officials waved off their fastest service, the Nozomi One, which hums along at around 300 kilometres an hour.

The country’s high-speed rail network helped transport Japan to the top tier of world economies.

Al Jazeera’s Wayne Hay reports from Tokyo.