The answer is "No!", I can not understand why did you think "never happened"?
This is 40 years ago, in 1978 big strike also Shinkansen were painted their slogan by white paints.
http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/371782/slide_371782_4307802_f...http://41-31.at.webry.info/200801/article_10.htmlBasically, there were not many big strikes enough to stop Shinkansen like above,
but a massive destruction activity was also done during the "National Rail = JNR" era.
https://ima.goo.ne.jp/column/article/4102.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_National_RailwaysAlready any strike no happened now?This answer is also "No!".
This is a small strike in this spring MAR 2018, just they have not a big power that all trains stop.
https://doronishi.exblog.jp/26562289/This is another union in near Tokyo, including demo marches and big meetings and their history old big battles.
http://doro-chiba.org/category/%E5%86%99%E7%9C%9F/So, small battles still continues in btw rail companies and workers union.
However, recent workers unions are mostly small, their remarks remain still extreme,
but because they do not have the power to overwhelm the organization,
they can not keep all the trains stopped, passengers will not be affected already.
Bus and all transportation comanies are same, no workers union comapany is usual.
Why did you want to know such bad rail history in Japan?
There is no strike without cause in any organization, even in out of Japan, right?
Did you worried that it might happen when traveling to Japan next time?
If such a big strike happens, it will be on the news even at BBC and others,
but before that you should watch "NHK World".
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/about/At first I thought you watched this program as one of rail fan.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/japanrailway/
