Fastech 360

Fastech 360 is the name given to a pair of former experimental high-speed EMU trainsets developed by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) to test technology for the next-generation Shinkansen rolling stock. The name is a portmanteau of Fast, Technology, and 360 km/h (360 km/h or 225 mph), the target operational speed for production trains based on the new technologies. Speeds of up to 405 km/h (250 mph) were targeted during performance testing.^[1] Results of testing using these trains was incorporated into the E5 series and E6 series trains, entering revenue service from 2011, eventually operating at 320 km/h (200 mph).

There were 2 trains:

• Class E954 Fastech 360S: 8-car set for use on shinkansen tracks only
• Class E955 Fastech 360Z: 6-car set for use on both shinkansen and Mini-shinkansen lines

Fastech 360 trains were equipped with emergency air braking plates like that of an aircraft, similar in appearance to the ears of a cat. This trait earned them a nickname of Nekomimi Shinkansen (猫耳新幹線), which literally means "cat-eared Shinkansen". This technology was not incorporated in the subsequent E5 series or E6 series trains.^{[citation needed]}