The 0 Series Shinkansen first entered service with the opening of the Tokaido Shinkansen in 1964. So-called because it was the first generation of Shinkansen built to run on this line, the 0 Series cut the travel time between Tokyo and Osaka by almost half.

The new possibilities opened up by the Shinkansen, make it one of the most important and legendary trains in railway history both in Japan and across the world, with one of the 0 Series power cars currently being preserved at the British National Railway Museum.