A magnetically levitated train broke its own world speed record Monday when engineers sent it hurtling 560 kph down a test track near Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture.
The five-car MLX01, which clocked the previous fastest maglev speed of 552 kph in April 1999, raced to its new record with nobody on board.
Engineers at the 18.4-km-long test track controlled the train remotely, said Mika Kamijo, a spokeswoman for Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai).
Thirteen people were on board when the maglev set its last speed record, Kamijo said.
Maglev trains differ from conventional trains in that magnets lift them slightly off the ground, eliminating speed-reducing friction with the tracks.
The MLX01 is part of a 190 billion yen government-financed project to develop faster trains for a country that is already home to some of the world's speediest. Bullet trains run up to 300 kph and reached speeds of 443 kph in test runs conducted in 1996.