What freight trains? ("In 2017, only about 5% of all freight in Japan is carried by rail ... Trucks carry about 50% and ships about 44%." [1]; "It is used relatively little for freight transport, accounting for just 0.84% of goods movement." [2])
Also it's apparently something they do. "And it’s not totally untested. The country’s Torigatayama limestone mine uses a 14-mile (23 km) belt, and in Africa a 62-mile (100 km) system moves phosphate between mine and port, SCMP notes."
Personally I'd think it'd be easier to make a canal but I'm not a civil engineer.
Also it's apparently something they do. "And it’s not totally untested. The country’s Torigatayama limestone mine uses a 14-mile (23 km) belt, and in Africa a 62-mile (100 km) system moves phosphate between mine and port, SCMP notes."
Personally I'd think it'd be easier to make a canal but I'm not a civil engineer.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Freight_Railway_Company#...
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Japan