Japan's Reconstruction Minister Akiba Kenya has refused to step down from his Cabinet post amid calls from the opposition camp that he resign.

The Liberal Democrat has been mired in scandals over a possible election violation, political funds and alleged links to the controversial religious group formerly known as the Unification Church.

It's increasingly likely that a super-fast, magnetically levitated train service in Japan will not start as planned. A local government has refused to approve preparatory work to build a tunnel.

Shizuoka Prefecture has not approved the tunnel project, citing a possible impact on local water resources.