The Bullet Train 1975

Tetsuo Okita is a former businessman who lost his manufacturing company to bankruptcy and separated from his wife and son a year earlier. Desperate to restart his life, he partners with activist Masaru Koga and his former employee Hiroshi Ōshiro in an intricate scheme to extort money from the government, convinced that a daring move could redeem his fortunes even as it jeopardizes countless lives. The plan hinges on a risky alliance between a disgruntled former executive, a determined political operator, and a figure from his old professional world, all willing to push ethics aside for a chance at renewal.

[Hikari 109] is a high-speed 0 series bullet train carrying 1,500 passengers from Tokyo to Hakata. Shortly after departure, railway security head Miyashita is alerted by Tetsuo Okita that a bomb has been planted aboard and will detonate if the train slows below 80 km/h. To prove the threat is real, freight train 5790 bound from Yūbari to Oiwake is destroyed by a similar blast. Kuramochi directs the train’s conductor Aoki not to slow down below 120 km/h while an intensive search unfolds, delaying the journey by several hours and placing the passengers in a tense standoff with fear and confusion. Police teams in Tokyo race to pinpoint the bomber or locate the explosive device before catastrophe strikes, weaving a backdrop of national anxiety into the carriages and platforms alike.

Back aboard Hikari 109, the atmosphere thickens with distrust and unease as the train hurtles forward. Passengers begin to vocalize their fear, some arguing for a halt while others cling to routine. Among the travelers, a pregnant passenger named Kazuko Hirao goes into labor, heightening the sense of urgency as crews scramble to provide support and calm the crowd. To keep order, co-engineer Kikuchi explains the gravity of the situation and shares the cautious hope that the threat can be neutralized without bloodshed. The investigation gains a critical lead when a cigarette pack bearing fingerprints of Koga is discovered at Yūbari Station, tying the escalating crisis to the conspirators and giving authorities a tangible thread to pursue amidst the mounting chaos.

As the tension mounts, Okita’s demands intensify. He calls again and insists on a ransom of US$5 million contained in an aluminum suitcase, to be delivered northbound by helicopter and landed at Yorii High School. The operation unfolds with military-like precision: Officer Senda carries the bag, and the chase takes a dangerous turn as Okita navigates a perilous route that eventually leads Hiroshi Ōshiro into a fatal collision with a vehicle, the force of the crash sending him into a fatal collision with a lamppost. In the wake of Ōshiro’s death, police close in on Koga, and though they wound him during a confrontation, he refuses to surrender, hobbling back toward Okita’s hideout with stubborn resolve. The sense of inevitability grows as the investigators close in on the conspirators and the clock ticks louder with each passing minute, forcing Okita to weigh the consequences of continuing his mission.

Kuramochi appears again on television, making a public appeal for Okita to help them defuse the bomb and avert disaster. Meanwhile, Shinji Fujio, a former accomplice of Okita, appears via a broadcast and reveals that Okita is planning to leave Japan under a false identity, heightening the stakes and underscoring the extent of the ruse. With high-speed cameras tracking the train’s movements, the Shinkansen authorities pinpoint the bomb beneath the second coach. Aoki coordinates a daring rescue operation, directing welding crews to cut a precise access hole and begin the delicate process of disarming the device, even as officials fear a second explosive might be lurking elsewhere on the carriages. The tension spikes as the government orders the train to come to a stop, and the crew races to defuse the threat before it can claim more lives.

In the climactic moments, the defusal operation proves complex and nerve-wracking, with evolving suspicions about the presence of a second bomb while the rescue effort pushes forward. The pressure on Kuramochi, who has held the line under extraordinary strain, culminates in a personal burnout that leads him to resign as the ordeal drags on. At the same time, the story reaches a sobering apex at Haneda Airport, where Okita’s cover is finally blown when his ex-wife Yasuko Tomita and their son Kenichi spot him. He is shot dead while attempting to flee, bringing his attempt at a new beginning to a tragic and definitive close. The train’s fate remains a testament to human resilience and the high price of desperation, as a nation watches and hopes that the worst has passed even as the cries of fear and loss echo through the stations and skies.