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Freight train in Hokkaidō (1973)
Freight train in Hokkaidō (1973)

Japanese National Railways (日本国有鉄道 Nippon Kokuyū Tetsudō?), abbreviated Kokutetsu (国鉄?) or "JNR", was the national railway network of Japan from 1949 to 1987. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar)

Contents

History

The term Kokuyū Tetsudō "state-owned railway" originally referred to a network of railway lines operated by nationalized companies under the control of the Railway Institute following the nationalization in 1906 and 1907. Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government The brought many of Japan 's private railway lines under national control. Later, the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications took over control of the network. The ministries used the name Japanese Government Railways (JGR) to refer their network in English. The Japanese Government Railways (JGR was the national railway system directly operated by the central government of Japan until 1949 During World War II, many JGR lines were dismantled to supply steel for the war effort. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

In 1949, JGR was reorganized into a state-owned public corporation by a directive of the U.S. General HQ in Tokyo. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Although the Japanese economy is largely based on private enterprise it does have a number of government-owned (public corporations, which are more extensive and in some cases Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers ( SCAP) was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The new corporation enjoyed many successes, including the 1964 inauguration of high-speed Shinkansen service. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. The is a Network of High-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies However, the network's rapid expansion also pulled it further and further into debt as it took out huge loans to fund new capital projects.

By 1987, JNR's debt was over ¥25 trillion ($200 billion). Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) That year, the network was privatized by an act of the Diet of Japan, and divided into several companies collectively called the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of business from the Public sector (government to the Private sector (business The is Japan's Bicameral Legislature. It is composed of a Lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an Upper house, called The Japan Railways Group, more commonly known as, consists of seven for-profit companies that took over most of the Assets and Operations of the government-owned Contemporary offspring of JNR include the East Japan Railway Company, West Japan Railway Company, and Central Japan Railway Company. is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven JR companies ( also referred to as, is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group companies and operates in western Honshū. The ( is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu ( Nagoya) region of central Japan.

See also: History of rail transport in Japan and Japanese Government Railways

Timeline

Network

Railways

As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated 19,756. This article is part of the History of rail transport by country series The Japanese Government Railways (JGR was the national railway system directly operated by the central government of Japan until 1949 Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1872 ( MDCCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture, located in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshū and is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area is the first major station south of Tokyo Station and isa major interchange for trains operated by JR East, JR Central and Keikyū. is a railway station located in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan. Lines Sakuragichō Station is served by the following lines Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The brought many of Japan 's private railway lines under national control. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen line opened in 1964 between Tokyo and Shin-Ōsaka. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) 8 km of narrow gauge (1,067 mm) railways in all 46 prefectures of Japan (Okinawa, the 47th prefecture, returned to the Japanese administration in 1972 but no JNR line existed in Okinawa). The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A narrow gauge railway (or narrow gauge railroad) is a Railway that has a Track gauge narrower than the of Standard gauge railways is one of Japan 's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1000 km long which extends southwest from Kyūshū This figure expanded to 21,421. 1 km in 1981 (excluding Shinkansen), but later reduced to 19,633. 6 km as of March 31, 1987, the last day of JNR. [1]

JNR operated both passenger and freight services.

Shinkansen, the world-first high-speed railway was debuted by JNR in 1964. The is a Network of High-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies By the end of JNR in 1987, four lines were constructed:

Tōkaidō Shinkansen
515. is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen line opened in 1964 between Tokyo and Shin-Ōsaka. 4 km, completed in 1964
Sanyō Shinkansen
553. The is one of the lines of the Shinkansen High speed rail network in Japan. 7 km, completed in 1975
Tōhoku Shinkansen
492. Tōhoku Shinkansen (東北新幹線 is a high-speed rail line connecting Tokyo with Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 593 km Japan's 9 km as of 1987
Jōetsu Shinkansen
269. The is a high-speed railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company 5 km, completed in 1982

Buses

JNR operated bus lines as feeders, supplements or substitutions of railways. Unlike railway operation, JNR Bus was not superior to other local bus operators. The JR Bus companies are the successors of the bus operation of JNR. JR Bus collectively refers to the Bus operations of Japan Railways Group (JR Group companies in Japan.

Ships

JNR operated ferries to connect railway networks separated by sea or to meet other local demands:

Kanmon Ferry (discontinued in 1964)
Shimonoseki Station (Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi) – Mojikō Station (Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka)
Miyajima Ferry
Miyajimaguchi Station (Ōno, Hiroshima) – Miyajima Station (Miyajima, Hiroshima)
Nihori Ferry (discontinued in 1982)
Nigata Station (Kure, Hiroshima) – Horie Station (Matsuyama, Ehime)
Ōshima Ferry (discontinued in 1976)
Ōbatake Station (Yanai, Yamaguchi) – Komatsukō Station (Suō-Ōshima, Yamaguchi)
Seikan Ferry
Aomori Station (Aomori, Aomori) – Hakodate Station (Hakodate, Hokkaidō)
Ukō Ferry
Uno Station (Tamano, Okayama) – Takamatsu Station (Takamatsu, Kagawa)

Out of three routes assigned to JR companies in 1987, only the Miyajima Ferry remains active as of 2007. is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshū, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu in Moji ward, Kitakyūshū, Japan is the oldest station on the Kagoshima Main Line in Kyūshū and the terminus for those going to is a city located in Fukuoka prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. It is midway between Tokyo and Shanghai. is the ferry route between Miyajimaguchi Hatsukaichi Hiroshima and Miyajima ( Itsukushima) Miyajimaguchi Station is a JR station on JR Sanyō Main Line in Hatsukaichi Hiroshima. was a town located in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan. On November 3, 2005 the town was merged into the city of Hatsukaichi Hatsukaichi Hiroshima (the article on is a JR West Kure Line station located in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. is a city located in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan. As of the January 1 2008 the city has an estimated Population of 246118 and a density is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan. As of 2003, the city has an estimated Population of 33161 and the density of 259 is a town located in Ōshima District, Yamaguchi, Japan. It was formed on October 1, 2004 from the merger of the former towns is a railway station in Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan, operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaidō is a city and port located in Oshima, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture is a city located in the southern Okayama, Japan. As of 2003, the city has an estimated Population of 68169 and the density is a Railway station on the Yosan and Kōtoku lines in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. is located in central Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan, and is the seat of the prefectural government

Accidents and criminal incidents

Accidents

JNR as a public corporation (from 1949 to 1987) experienced five major accidents (including two shipwrecks of railway ferries) with casualties more than 100:

Sakuragichō train fire
A train fire at Sakuragichō Station in Yokohama on April 24, 1951 killed 106. is a railway station located in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan. Lines Sakuragichō Station is served by the following lines is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture, located in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshū and is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January
Toya Maru disaster
A Seikan ferryboat sank off Hakodate killing 1,155 in a typhoon storm on September 26, 1954. The was a Japanese Freightliner constructed by the Japanese National Railways which sank during a Typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait between is a city and port located in Oshima, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar)
Shiun Maru disaster
An Ukō ferryboat collided with a fellow boat in a dense fog and sank killing 166 on May 11, 1955. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar)
Mikawashima rail crash
A three-train collision near Mikawashima Station in Tokyo on May 3, 1962 killed 160. is a Train station on the Jōban Line in Arakawa Tokyo, Japan. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Yokohama rail crash
A three-train collision near Tsurumi Station in Yokohama on November 9, 1963 killed 161. The occurred on November 9 1963 between Tsurumi Station and Shin-Koyasu Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line in Yokohama, Japan is a train station of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East located in Tsurumi-ku Yokohama, Japan. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Criminal incidents

In its very early days as a public corporation, JNR experienced a series of mysterious incidents as follows. Although the police at that time treated them as terrorism by the communists, doubts have been raised to such conclusion. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion The Japanese Communist Party ( JCP) ( Japanese " 日本共産党 Nihon Kyōsan-tō) is a Political party in Japan.

Shimoyama incident 
A dismembered body of JNR President Sadanori Shimoyama was found on a railway track on July 5, 1949. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England.
Mitaka incident 
A train run without crew crushed into passengers and killed six people on July 15, 1949. The was an incident that took place on July 15 1949 when an unmanned Runaway train with its operating handle tied down drove into Mitaka Station on the Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final
Matsukawa incident 
A train was derailed because of destroyed track and three crew were killed on August 17, 1949. The happened on August 17 1949 when a Passenger train derailed and overturned between Kanawagawa and Matsukawa stations on the Tohoku Line in Japan Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli

In later years, JNR was a target of radical lefts. Ultra-left|Radical left|Radicalism (historical|Hard left Far left and extreme left are terms used to discuss the position a group or person occupies within a Political spectrum On October 21, 1968, groups of extremist students cerebrating "International Antiwar Day" occupied and destroyed Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. is a Train station located in Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan. [2] They criticized JNR's collaboration to the Vietnam War by operating freight trains carrying jet fuel for the U. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Jet fuel is a type of Aviation fuel designed for use in Aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. S. military use. On November 29, 1985, militants supporting a radical sect of JNR's labor union objecting to the privatization of JNR demolished signal cables at 33 points around Tokyo and Osaka to halt thousands of commuter trains and then set fire to Asakusabashi Station in Tokyo. Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) For the British newspaper and Marxist organization see Militant tendency. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming is both a subway station on the Toei Asakusa Line operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, and a railway station above ground level on the [3]

As such, the relationship with labor unions was always a difficult problem of JNR. Since public workers were prohibited to strike, they carried out "work-to-rule protests" that caused trains delay. Strike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by Employees to perform work. On March 13, 1973, delays of trains caused by such protests resulted in a riot of angered passengers at Ageo Station in Saitama Prefecture (Ageo incident). Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Riots are a form of Civil disorders characterized by disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of Violence, Vandalism or other is a railway station on the Takasaki Line operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East in Ageo Saitama, Japan. [4]

Baseball team

Between 1950 and 1965, JNR indirectly owned a professional baseball team named Kokutetsu Swallows (国鉄スワローズ Kokutetsu Suwarōzu?). Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of Baseball in Japan. Swallow was a symbol of JNR as it is the English equivalent of Japanese Tsubame, the name of a deluxe train of JNR in 1950s. The swallows and martins are a group of Passerine Birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial is the initial service running on the Kyūshū Shinkansen since the line opened in March 2004

Kokutetsu Swallows are the predecessors of present-day Tokyo Yakult Swallows. are a professional Baseball team in Japan 's Central League. The Swallows are named after their corporate owners the Yakult Corporation

See also

References

  1. ^ Ishino, Tetsu et al. This page explains the numbering and classification schemes for Locomotives employed by the Japanese Government Railways, the Japanese National Railways and the Softbank Telecom Corp Japanese: (ソフトバンクテレコム株式会社 previously as, is a Japanese telephone company of the Softbank group (eds. ) (1998). Teishajō Hensen Daijiten - Kokutetsu JR Hen I (in Japanese). Tokyo: JTB Corporation, pp. 289, 305, 310. ISBN 4533029809.  
  2. ^ "学生デモに騒乱罪適用", Tokyo: Asahi Shimbun, October 22, 1968 (12th ed. ), p.  1. (Japanese) 
  3. ^ "国電、全面ストップ", Tokyo: Asahi Shimbun, November 29, 1985 (evening 4th ed. ), p.  1. (Japanese)  See also 国電同時多発ゲリラ事件 (Japanese Wikipedia)
  4. ^ "「順法」に乗客の怒り爆発", Tokyo: Asahi Shimbun, March 13, 1973 (evening 3rd ed. ), p.  1. (Japanese)  See also 上尾事件 (Japanese Wikipedia)

External links

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