Transport in Japan

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A JR East E5 series shinkansen train Series-E5-U15 Yamabiko-50.jpg
A JR East E5 series shinkansen train

Transport in Japan is modern and highly developed. Japan's transport sector stands out for its energy efficiency: it uses less energy per person compared to other countries, thanks to a high share of rail transport and low overall travel distances. [1] Transport in Japan is also very expensive in international comparison, reflecting high tolls and taxes, particularly on automobile transport. [2] Japan's spending on roads has been large. [3] The 1,200,000 kilometres (750,000 mi) of paved road are the main means of transport. [4] Traffic in Japan drives on the left. A single network of high-speed, divided, limited-access toll roads connects major cities, which are operated by toll-collecting enterprises.

Contents

Dozens of Japanese railway companies compete in regional and local passenger transport markets; for instance, seven JR Group companies, Kintetsu Railway, Seibu Railway, and Keio Corporation. Often, strategies of these enterprises contain real estate or department stores next to stations. Some 250 high-speed Shinkansen trains connect major cities. All trains are known for punctuality.

There are 176 airports, [5] and the largest domestic airport, Haneda Airport, was by passenger traffic the third-busiest in Asia and the fourth-busiest in the world in 2018, but not in the top ten in 2022. The largest international gateways are Narita International Airport (Tokyo area), Kansai International Airport (Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto area), and Chūbu Centrair International Airport (Nagoya area). The largest ports include Nagoya Port.

Railway

Yamanote Line, Tokyo Series-E235-0 9.jpg
Yamanote Line, Tokyo
A tram in Kumamoto Kumamoto Type0803-COCORO.jpg
A tram in Kumamoto

In Japan, railways are a major means of passenger transport, especially for mass and high-speed transport between major cities and for commuter transport in metropolitan areas. Seven Japan Railways Group companies, state-owned until 1987, cover most parts of Japan. There also are railway services operated by private rail companies, regional governments, and companies funded by both regional governments and private companies.

Total railways of 27,182 km (16,890 mi) include several track gauges, the most common of which is 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge, with 22,301 km (13,857 mi) of track of which 15,222 km (9,459 mi) is electrified. [6]

Fukuoka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, and Yokohama have subway systems.

Most Japanese people traveled on foot until the later part of the 19th century. The first railway was built between Tokyo's Shimbashi Station and Yokohama's former Yokohama Station (now Sakuragichō Station) in 1872. [7] Many more railways developed soon afterward.

Modern Japan is home to one of the world's most developed transport networks. Mass transport is well developed in Japan, but the road system lags and is inadequate for the number of cars owned in Japan. This is often attributed to the fact that road construction is difficult in Japan because of its very high population density, and the limited amount of available usable land for road construction.

Shinkansen (bullet train)

Map of Shinkansen lines except Hakata-Minami Line and Gala-Yuzawa Line Shinkansen map 201703 en.png
Map of Shinkansen lines except Hakata-Minami Line and Gala-Yuzawa Line

The Shinkansen, or "bullet trains", as they are known colloquially, are the high-speed rail trains that run across Japan. [8] The 2,387 km (1,485 mi) of 8 Shinkansen lines run on completely separate lines from their commuting train counterparts, with a few exceptions. Shinkansen takes up a large portion of the long-distance travel in Japan, with the whole system carrying over 10 billion passengers in its lifetime. 1,114,000 journeys are made daily, with the fastest train being the JR East E5 and E6 series trains, which operate at a maximum speed of 320 km/h (200 mph). Shinkansen trains are known to be very safe, with no accident-related deaths or injuries from passengers in their 50-plus year history. [9] Shinkansen trains are also known to be very punctual, following suit with all other Japanese transport; in 2003, the average delay per train on the Tokaido Shinkansen was a mere 6 seconds. [10] Japan has been trying to sell its Shinkansen technology overseas, and has struck deals to help build systems in India, Thailand, and the United States. [9]

The first Shinkansen line opened between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964, and trains can now make the journey in 2 hours and 25 minutes. [8] Additional Shinkansen lines connect Tokyo to Aomori, Niigata, Kanazawa, and Hakodate and Osaka to Fukuoka and Kagoshima, with new lines under construction to Tsuruga and Sapporo. A separate line heads out to Nagasaki, albeit through a separate relay service.

Japan has been developing maglev technology trains, and broke the world maglev speed record in April 2015 with a train traveling at the speed of 603 km/h (375 mph). [11] The Chūō Shinkansen, a commercial maglev service, is currently under construction from Tokyo to Nagoya and Osaka, and when completed in 2045 will cover the distance in 67 minutes, half the time of the current Shinkansen.

Road

Mount Fuji as seen from the Chuo Expressway FujiChuoExpressway.jpg
Mount Fuji as seen from the Chuo Expressway
Typical Japanese expressway (Tokyo Gaikan Expressway) above the city road (Japan National Route 298) Tokyo Gaikan Expressway and Japanese national route 298.jpg
Typical Japanese expressway (Tokyo Gaikan Expressway) above the city road (Japan National Route 298)

According to Japan Statistical Yearbook 2015, Japan in April 2012 had approximately 1,215,000 km of roads made up of 1,022,000 km of city, town and village roads, 129,000 km of prefectural roads, 55,000 km of general national highways and 8,050 km of national expressways. [12] [13] The Foreign Press Center/Japan cites a total length of expressways at 7,641 km (fiscal 2008). [14] A single network of high-speed, divided, limited-access toll roads connects major cities on Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Hokkaido has a separate network, and Okinawa Island has a highway of this type. In the year 2005, the toll collecting companies, formerly Japan Highway Public Corporation, have been transformed into private companies in public ownership, and there are plans to sell parts of them. This policy aims to encourage competition and decrease tolls.

Road passenger and freight transport expanded considerably during the 1980s as private ownership of motor vehicles greatly increased along with the quality and extent of the nation's roads. Bus companies including the JR Bus companies operate long-distance bus services on the nation's expanding expressway network. In addition to relatively low fares and deluxe seating, the buses are well utilized because they continue service during the night when air and train services are limited.

The cargo sector grew rapidly in the 1980s, recording 274.2 billion tonne-kilometres in 1990. The freight handled by motor vehicles, mainly trucks, in 1990, was over 6 billion tonnes, accounting for 90 percent of domestic freight tonnage and about 50 percent of tonne-kilometers.

Recent large infrastructure projects were the construction of the Great Seto Bridge and the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line (opened 1997).

Road safety

Road fatalities have decreased in Japan, due in part to stricter enforcement of drunk driving laws:

In Tokyo, road safety is 13 killed per million. [17]

Air

Kansai International Airport, Osaka Kansai International Airport (1).jpg
Kansai International Airport, Osaka

In 2013, Japan had the fourth largest passenger air market in the world with 105,913,000 passengers. [18] In 2013 Japan had 98 airports. [19] The main international gateways are Narita International Airport (Tokyo area), Kansai International Airport (Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto area), and Chūbu Centrair International Airport (Nagoya area). The main domestic hub is Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), by passenger traffic the third-busiest in Asia and the fourth-busiest in the world in 2018, but not in the top ten in 2022; [20] [21] other major traffic hubs include Osaka International Airport, New Chitose Airport outside Sapporo, and Fukuoka Airport. 14 heliports are estimated to exist (1999).

Passenger airlines of Japan Airlines of Japan.svg
Passenger airlines of Japan

The two main airlines are Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways. Other passenger carriers include Skymark Airlines, Solaseed Air, Air Do, StarFlyer and Fuji Dream Airlines. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, formerly Northwest Airlines, are major international operators from Narita Airport.

Domestic air travel in Japan has historically been highly regulated. From 1972, the three major domestic airlines (JAL, ANA, and JAS) were allocated certain routes, with JAL and ANA sharing trunk routes, and ANA and JAS sharing local feeder routes. JAL and JAS have since been merged to help compete with ANA. JAL also had a flag-carrier monopoly on international routes until 1986. Airfares were set by the government until 2000, although carriers had the freedom to adjust the standard fares starting in 1995 (when discounts of up to 50% were permitted). Today, fares can be set by carriers, but the government retains the ability to veto fares that are too high.

Maritime

Ferry Miyajima on the Inland Sea near Miyajima, Hiroshima FerryMiyajima7511.jpg
Ferry Miyajima on the Inland Sea near Miyajima, Hiroshima

There are 1770 km of waterways in Japan; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas. [22]

There are some 994 ports in Japan as of April 2014. [23] There are overlapping classifications of these ports, some of which are multi-purpose, e.g. cargo, passenger, naval, and fishery. The five designated "super" container ports are Yokkaichi, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kobe, and Osaka. 23 are designated major/international, 125 designated as important, while there are also purely fisherman ports.

The twenty-three major seaports designated as special, important ports by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism: Chiba, Fushiki/Toyama, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kitakyushu, Kobe, Kudamatsu, Muroran, Nagoya, Niigata, Osaka, Sakai/Senpoku, Sendai/Shiogama, Shimizu, Shimonoseki, Tokyo, Tomakomai, Wakayama, Yokkaichi, and Yokohama.

Japan has 988 ships of 1,000  gross tonnage  (GT) or over on its national ship register, totaling 38,053,000 tonnes deadweight (DWT). However, only 17% of Japanese-owned capacity is registered in Japan. UNCTAD estimates that 224 million dwt of tonnage is controlled by Japanese owners, making Japan the second largest beneficial owner of tonnage after Greece. [24]

Ferries connect Hokkaido to Honshu, and Okinawa Island to Kyushu and Honshu. They also connect other smaller islands and the main islands. The scheduled international passenger routes are to China, Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan. Coastal and cross-channel ferries on the main islands decreased in routes and frequencies following the development of bridges and expressways but some are still operating (as of 2007).

Pipelines

Japan has 84 km of pipelines for crude oil, 322 km for petroleum products, and 1,800 km for natural gas.

By region

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-speed rail</span> Fastest rail-based transport systems

High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilizing trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialized rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines built to handle speeds above 250 km/h (155 mph) or upgraded lines in excess of 200 km/h (124 mph) are widely considered to be high-speed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinkansen</span> Japanese high-speed rail system

The Shinkansen, colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond long-distance travel, some sections around the largest metropolitan areas are used as a commuter rail network. It is owned by the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency and operated by five Japan Railways Group companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansai International Airport</span> Largest civil airport serving Osaka, Japan

Kansai International Airport, commonly known as 関空, is the primary international airport in the Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay off the Honshu shore, 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano (north), Sennan (south), and Tajiri (central), in Osaka Prefecture. The airport's 1st airport island covers approximately 510 hectares and the 2nd airport island covers approximately 545 hectares, for a total of 1,055 hectares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Japan Railway Company</span> Japanese railway company

The West Japan Railway Company, also referred to as JR West, is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and is also one of only three Japan Railways Group constituents of the Nikkei 225 index: the others are JR East and JR Central. It was also listed in the Nagoya and Fukuoka stock exchanges until late 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tōkaidō Main Line</span> Railway line in Japan

The Tōkaidō Main Line is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group network, connecting Tokyo and Kōbe stations. It is 589.5 km (366.3 mi) long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parallels the line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Japan Railway Company</span> Japanese railway company

The Central Japan Railway Company is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as JR Tōkai. Tōkai is a reference to the geographical region in which the company chiefly operates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokaido Shinkansen</span> High-speed railway line between Tokyo and Osaka

The Tōkaidō Shinkansen is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the Sanyo Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 1964, running between Tokyo and Shin-Ōsaka, it is the world's first high-speed rail line. Along with being the world's first high-speed rail line, it is also one of the most heavily used. Since 1987 it has been operated by the Central Japan Railway Company, prior to that by Japanese National Railways (JNR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kobe Airport</span> Airport in Japan

Kobe Airport is an airport on an artificial island just off the coast of Kobe, 8 km (5.0 mi) south of Sannomiya Station Japan. Opened on February 16, 2006, it primarily handles domestic flights, but can also accommodate international charter flights. In the first year of operation (2006), the airport handled 2,697,000 passengers with an average load factor of 61.1%. In 2017, it handled 3,071,974 passengers with an average load factor of 79.4%. In the fiscal year covering April 2022-March 2023, UKP had a pax throughput of 3,109,151. The island airport covers just 156 hectares of land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chūō Shinkansen</span> Maglev high-speed train line under construction in Japan

The Chuo Shinkansen is a Japanese maglev line under construction between Tokyo and Nagoya, with plans for extension to Osaka. Its initial section is between Shinagawa Station in Tokyo and Nagoya Station in Nagoya, with stations in Sagamihara, Kōfu, Iida and Nakatsugawa. Following the completion of the Tokyo-Nagoya line, the line will extend to connect stations in Mie, Nara and Osaka. The line is expected to connect Tokyo and Nagoya in 40 minutes, and eventually Tokyo and Osaka in 67 minutes, running at a maximum speed of 505 km/h (314 mph). About 90% of the 286-kilometer (178 mi) line to Nagoya will be tunnels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keihanshin</span> Metropolitan region in the Kansai region of Japan

Keihanshin is a metropolitan region in the Kansai region of Japan encompassing the metropolitan areas of the cities of Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture, Osaka in Osaka Prefecture and Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture. The entire region has a population of 19,302,746 over an area of 13,228 km2 (5,107 sq mi). It is the second-most-populated urban region in Japan, containing approximately 15% of Japan's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiroshima Airport</span> Airport serving Hiroshima, Japan

Hiroshima Airport is an international airport in the city of Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Located 50 km (31 mi) east of Hiroshima, it is the largest airport in the Chūgoku region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Japan</span> Railway transport in Japan

Rail transport in Japan is a major means of passenger transport, especially for mass and high-speed travel between major cities and for commuter transport in urban areas. It is used relatively little for freight transport, accounting for just 0.84% of goods movement. The privatised network is highly efficient, requiring few subsidies and running with extreme punctuality, though since privatisation several unprofitable but socially valuable lines have been closed by private operators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SCMaglev</span> Japanese maglev system

The SCMaglev is a magnetic levitation (maglev) railway system developed by Central Japan Railway Company and the Railway Technical Research Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Greater Tokyo</span> Overview of the transportation network in Greater Tokyo

The transport network in Greater Tokyo includes public and private rail and highway networks; airports for international, domestic, and general aviation; buses; motorcycle delivery services, walking, bicycling, and commercial shipping. While the nexus is in the central part of Tokyo, every part of the Greater Tokyo Area has rail or road transport services. There are also a number of ports offering sea and air transport to the general public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shizuoka Airport</span> Airport in Japan

Shizuoka Airport, also called Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport, is located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Opened on June 4, 2009, the airport has domestic service to Sapporo, Fukuoka, Naha (Okinawa), Komatsu, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima. International routes connect it to Ningbo, Seoul, Taipei, and Shanghai.

Transport in the Keihanshin metropolitan region is much like that of Tokyo: it includes public and private rail and highway networks; airports for international, domestic, and general aviation; buses; motorcycle delivery services, walking, bicycling, and commercial shipping. The nexus is in the central part of Osaka, though Kobe and Kyoto are major centers in their own right. Every part of Keihanshin has rail or road transport services. The sea and air transport is available from a limited number of ports for the general public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Itami Airport</span> Airport in Hyogo and Osaka prefecture, Japan

Osaka International Airport, often referred to as Itami Airport is the primary regional airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. Classified as a first class airport, it is the airport closest to Kyoto, 36 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of Kyoto Station. Itami Airport has a small footprint, covering only 311 hectares of land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Greater Nagoya</span> Overview of the transportation network in Greater Nagoya

Transport in Greater Nagoya (Chūkyō) is similar to that of the Tokyo and Osaka, but is more automobile oriented, as the urban density is less than Japan's two primary metropolises, and major automobile manufacturers like Toyota are based here. Still, compared to most cities of its size worldwide it has a considerable rail transport network with 3 million passenger trips daily, with a similar density and extent of passenger rail to London or New York City, complemented with highways and surface streets for private motor transport. It includes public and private rail and highway networks; airports for international, domestic, and general aviation; buses; motorcycle delivery services, walking, bicycling, and commercial shipping. The nexus of the public transport system is Nagoya Station. Every region of Greater Nagoya, also known as the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area (中京圏), has rail or road transport services, and the area as a whole is served by sea and air links.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Fukuoka-Kitakyushu</span> Methods and history of transport in Fukuoka-Kitakyushu, Japan

Transport in Fukuoka-Kitakyushu is similar to that of other large cities in Japan, but with a high degree of private transport. The region is a hub of international ferry services and has a high degree of air connectivity and a considerable rail transport network, complemented with highways and surface streets. It includes public and private rail and highway networks; airports for international, domestic, and general aviation; buses; motorcycle delivery services, walking, bicycling, and commercial shipping. The foci of the public transport system are Hakata Station, Tenjin Station, and Kokura Station, in Fukuoka and Kitakyushu cities respectively. Between these two cities lies a more sparse weblike regional rail network.

References

  1. ↑ Lipscy Phillip Y., Schipper Lee (2013). "Energy efficiency in the Japanese transport secto". Energy Policy. 56: 248–258. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2012.12.045.
  2. ↑ Lipscy Phillip Y (2012). "A Casualty of Political Transformation? The Politics of Japanese Energy Efficiency in the Transportation Sector" (PDF). Journal of East Asian Studies. 12: 3. doi:10.1017/S1598240800008080. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 May 2019.
  3. ↑ Japan's Road to Deep Deficit Is Paved With Public Works, New York Times in 1997
  4. ↑ Chapter 9 Transport Archived 27 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine , Statistical Handbook of Japan
  5. ↑ The CIA World Factbook
  6. ↑ "East Asia/Southeast Asia: Japan". The World Factbook. 21 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "Ever-evolving Yokohama Station marks 100th year". The Japan Times . Kyodo News. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  8. 1 2 Ryall, Julian (1 October 2014). "Bullet train at 50: rise and fall of the world's fastest train". The Telegraph . Tokyo. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  9. 1 2 Lufkin, Bryan (28 December 2015). "How Japan's Bullet Train Is Taking Over the World". Gizmodo . Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  10. ↑ The Japan Times: "Tokaido Shinkansen Line fetes 40 years" (2 October 2004). Retrieved on 27 April 2009.
  11. ↑ McCurry, Justin (21 April 2015). "Japan's maglev train breaks world speed record with 600 km/h test run". The Guardian . Tokyo. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  12. ↑ Chapter 12 Transport - Microsoft Excel Sheet, Statistical Handbook of Japan
  13. ↑ "Road Bureau - MLIT Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism". mlit.go.jp.
  14. ↑ Facts and Figures of Japan, 14: Transport Archived 6 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine , Foreign Press Center/Japan
  15. ↑ https://www.japanallover.com/2019/01/traffic-accidents-road-safety-japan/ [ dead link ]
  16. ↑ "Annual Traffic Fatalities in Japan Reach Record Low". 15 January 2020.
  17. ↑ "Here's how Tokyo — the largest city in the world — brilliantly eliminated traffic deaths". Business Insider .
  18. ↑ World Bank Database, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IS.AIR.PSGR
  19. ↑ "Bubble era's aviation legacy: Too many airports, all ailing | the Japan Times Online". www.japantimes.co.jp. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  20. ↑ "ACI reveals the world's busiest passenger and cargo airports (2018)". Airports Council International. 9 April 2018. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. 2022 data
  21. ↑ "5-Star Rating for Tokyo Haneda Airport". Skytrax. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "Transportation in Japan". asianinfo.org. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  23. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. ↑ "UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport". 2018: 30.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

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