In January 2010, President Obama announced an allocation of $8 billion granted as federal funds to help turn the U.S. vision of high speed rail (HSR) into reality.  The distributed funds will be used for the development of HSR which has proven to be an effective, energy-efficient way to move large numbers of people quickly over long distances.  The goal of this seminar in Chicago is to demonstrate Japan’s 45 years of experience in HSR operation and contribute toward developing HSR network projects in the Midwest region as well as other regions in the U.S.  In this half day seminar, leaders in the Japanese transportation field will introduce technology and operational experience about HSR. Topics also include a finance scheme for introducing HSR systems to the U.S. as well as economic benefits derived from HSR, such as job creation and regional development.