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Ministry of Railways (Japan)

The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national railway system directly operated by the Japanese Ministry of Railways (Japanese: 鉄道省, romanizedTetsudō-shō, Japanese pronunciation: [te̞t͡sɨᵝdo̞ːɕo̞ː]) until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Railways Group.

Japanese Government Railways
Ministry of Railways
鉄道省 Tetsudō-shō
JNR Class C51 locomotive decorated to haul the imperial train, 1940
Overview
HeadquartersTokyo
LocaleJapan, nationwide
Dates of operation1871–1949
SuccessorJapanese National Railways
Technical
Track gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Length18,400 km (1941)

Name edit

The English name "Japanese Government Railways" was what the Ministry of Railways (established in 1920) used to call its own "Ministry Lines" (省線, shōsen) and sometimes the ministry itself as a railway operator. Other English names for the government railways include Imperial Japanese Government Railways and Imperial Government Railways, which were mainly used prior to the establishment of the ministry. This article covers the railways operated by the central government of Japan from 1872 to 1949 notwithstanding the official English name of the system of each era.

Network edit

By the end of World War II in 1945, the Japanese Government Railways operated on the main Japanese islands of Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, Shikoku and Karafuto. The railways in Taiwan and Korea were operated by the local Governor-General Offices - the Taiwan Government-General Railway and the Chosen Government Railway respectively - and were not part of JGR.

Total operating distance of JGR as of March 31 of each year[1][2]
Year mi km
1881 76.3131 122.8140
1891 551.22 887.10
1901 822.49 1,323.67
1906-07: railway nationalization
1911 4,870.6 7,838.5
1921 6,484.7 10,436.1
1931 9,056.4 14,574.9
1941 11,433.2 18,400.0

While the JGR was the only major operator of intercity railways after the railways were nationalized in 1906–1907, privately owned regional railways were also active.

The gauge used for Japanese railways was 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) (narrow gauge) other than some minor exceptions (184.2 km (114.5 mi) total in the peak years of 1936-38[3][circular reference]) of 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge lines being used.

History edit

 
Symbol mark of the Government Railways ("工" is the kanji initial of the Ministry of Industry.)

The first railway in Japan was operated by the imperial government in 1872. The idea of centralization of the railway was promoted under the idea of "breaking down of the geographical barriers that existed in the feudal communities which hindered the centralization of authority". Placing the railways under government control was for military and political ends; the government had no intention for the central railway to be operated as a "model enterprise". Early shareholders of the railway were members of the nobility, holding "the major portion of (the) capital".[4] The governmental system was largely expanded by the promulgation of the Railway Nationalization Act in 1906. In 1920, the Ministry of Railways was established.

In 1949, JGR was reorganized to become a state-owned public corporation named the Japanese National Railways.

Timeline edit

  • June 12, 1872 - Provisional opening of Tokyo-Yokohama railway (Shinagawa Station - Yokohama Station)
  • October 14, 1872 - Formal opening of Tokyo-Yokohama railway (ceremony at Shimbashi and Yokohama Stations)
  • October 1, 1907 - Completion of nationalization of 17 private railways under 1906 Railway Nationalization Act
  • December 20, 1914 - Opening of Tokyo Station
  • November 1, 1925 - Inauguration of the Yamanote Loop Line
  • April 1, 1943 - Inclusion of Karafuto prefectural lines into national system
  • February 1, 1946 - Official exclusion of Soviet-occupied Karafuto lines from national system
  • June 1, 1949 - Establishment of Japanese National Railways, i.e. end of Japanese Government Railways
  • April 1, 1987 - Privatization of JNR, establishment of seven JR companies

Historical operators of JGR edit

Before the establishment of the Japanese National Railways as a public corporation on June 1, 1949, the Japanese Government Railways were operated by the governmental agencies. The table below shows the historical operators of the JGR.[5] Translated names of ministries may not be official. Names of the operating department generally mean "department (or office, section, agency) of railways" or like.

Date of
establishment
Ministry Department Note
1870-04-19 Civil and Finance Ministry(Japanese: 民部大蔵省, Japanese pronunciation: [Mimbu-Ōkura-shō]) 鉄道係 (Japanese pronunciation: [Tetsudō-gakari]) in charge of construction only
1870-08-06 Civil Ministry(Japanese: 民部省, Japanese pronunciation: [Minbu-shō])
1870-12-12 Ministry of Industry(Japanese: 工部省, Japanese pronunciation: [Kōbu-shō])
1871-09-28 鉄道寮 (Japanese pronunciation: [Tetsudō-ryō]) First railway opened in 1872.
1877-01-11 鉄道局 (Japanese pronunciation: [Tetsudō-kyoku])
1885-12-22 Cabinet(Japanese: 内閣, Japanese pronunciation: [Naikaku])
1890-09-06 Home Ministry(Japanese: 内務省, Japanese pronunciation: [Naimu-shō]) 鉄道庁 (Japanese pronunciation: [Tetsudō-chō])
1892-07-21 Ministry of Communications(Japanese: 逓信省, Japanese pronunciation: [Teishin-shō])
1893-11-10 鉄道局
1897-08-18 鉄道作業局 (Japanese pronunciation: [Tetsudō-sagyō-kyoku]) Tetsudō-kyoku survived as an administrative body for private railways till 1908.
1907-04-01 帝国鉄道庁 (Japanese pronunciation: [Teikoku-Tetsudō-chō])
1908-12-05 Cabinet 鉄道院 (Japanese pronunciation: [Tetsudō-in]) Government Railways were commonly called In-sen(Japanese: 院線).
1920-05-15 Ministry of Railways(Japanese: 鉄道省, Japanese pronunciation: [Tetsudō-shō]) Government Railways were commonly called Shō-sen(Japanese: 省線).
1943-11-01 Ministry of Transport and Communications(Japanese: 運輸通信省, Japanese pronunciation: [Un'yu-Tsūshin-shō]) 鉄道総局 (Japanese pronunciation: [Tetsudō-sōkyoku])
1945-05-19 Ministry of Transport(Japanese: 運輸省, Japanese pronunciation: [Un'yu-shō])

Fare system edit

Since opening in 1872, the railway set fares for passengers in three classes. The transportation of freight was charged based on weight and class of goods. In 1872, passengers could choose from Upper, Middle and Lower classes, which were later renamed as First, Second and Third classes. Freight was shipped using one of five rates based on 100 kin of product.[6]

A 1923 review of the shipping tariffs further explained that goods are divided into three shipping classes (according to the ways in which they are to be handled by the railway): koguchi atsukai (goods in small lots), kashikini atsukai (goods for a reserved freight car) and tokushu atsukai (goods requiring special treatment). It was also possible to ship them via futsubin (regularly-scheduled trains) and kyukobin (express trains). "It may, therefore, be fairly said that the freight rates of the State-owned railways in Japan are of absolute uniformity." As Japan is an island nation, it was noted that ocean-going vessels are a major source of competition for the freight business of the railway.[7]

Technical details edit

The railway invested heavily in methods to reduce coal consumption in steam locomotives; between 1920 and 1936, coal consumption per kilometer traveled was reduced by about a quarter.[8]

The government mandated the use of automatic couplers on all cars on the system in July 1925. The system was transitioning from vacuum brakes to air brakes at this time, with most freight cars equipped with air brakes by April 1927.[9]

Tourism promotion edit

 
JGR poster for invitation of international tourists

One of the roles of the Japanese Government Railways was to attract foreign tourists to Japan. In 1930, the government created the Board of Tourist Industry (国際観光局, Kokusai Kankō Kyoku) as a section of the Japanese Government Railways (Ministry of Railways). The Board printed and distributed picture posters and English guidebooks overseas and encouraged development of resort hotels at home.[10] The Board was dissolved in 1942, following the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941.

Notable people edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory – JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. I. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. pp. 256–285. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
  2. ^ recorded in miles until 1930, when JGR adopted the metric system
  3. ^ ja:国鉄の特殊狭軌線 (Japanese Wikipedia), retrieved on 2009-04-06
  4. ^ Horie, Yasuzo (1939). "Government Industries in the Early Years of the Meiji Era". The Kyoto University Economic Review. 14 (1): 67–87. doi:10.11179/ker1926.14.67. hdl:2433/125296. ISSN 1884-5355. JSTOR 43217448. S2CID 150789911.
  5. ^ Ishino, supra, p. 42, vol. I
  6. ^ Sawa, S (1956). "Freight Classification Index of Japan National Railway" (PDF). The Kyoto University Economic Review. 26 (1): 43–52. doi:10.11179/ker1926.26.43. hdl:2433/125422. ISSN 1884-5355. JSTOR 43217039.
  7. ^ Kojima, S (1928). "Characteristics of Tariff Freight Rates in the Shipping Business". The Kyoto University Economic Review. 3 (1): 100–126. doi:10.11179/ker1926.3.100. hdl:2433/125169. ISSN 1884-5355. JSTOR 43216692.
  8. ^ Hata, Hiroshi (2019). "Trends in Energy-saving Technology for Multiple Units from the Viewpoint of the Energy Consumption Rates of Railway Companies in Japan". Quarterly Report of RTRI. 60 (2): 77–80. doi:10.2219/rtriqr.60.2_77. ISSN 0033-9008.
  9. ^ KAWAMURA, M. (1927). "空 氣 制動 機 に 就 て 名古屋鐵道局技師 川 村 案 [五 月二十五日電氣學會東海支部に於ける講演] (On the air brake)". The Journal of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (in Japanese and English). 47 (471): 1027–1040. doi:10.11526/ieejjournal1888.47.1027. ISSN 0020-2878.
  10. ^ Nakagawa, Koichi (March 1998). (PDF). Japan Railway and Transport Review (15): 25–27. ISSN 1342-7512. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-08. Retrieved 2007-11-14.

ministry, railways, japan, japanese, government, railways, national, railway, system, directly, operated, japanese, ministry, railways, japanese, 鉄道省, romanized, tetsudō, shō, japanese, pronunciation, sɨᵝdo, ːɕo, until, 1949, predecessor, japanese, national, r. The Japanese Government Railways JGR was the national railway system directly operated by the Japanese Ministry of Railways Japanese 鉄道省 romanized Tetsudō shō Japanese pronunciation te t sɨᵝdo ːɕo ː until 1949 It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Railways Group Japanese Government RailwaysMinistry of Railways鉄道省 Tetsudō shōJNR Class C51 locomotive decorated to haul the imperial train 1940OverviewHeadquartersTokyoLocaleJapan nationwideDates of operation1871 1949SuccessorJapanese National RailwaysTechnicalTrack gauge3 ft 6 in 1 067 mm Length18 400 km 1941 Contents 1 Name 2 Network 3 History 3 1 Timeline 3 2 Historical operators of JGR 4 Fare system 5 Technical details 6 Tourism promotion 7 Notable people 8 NotesName editThe English name Japanese Government Railways was what the Ministry of Railways established in 1920 used to call its own Ministry Lines 省線 shōsen and sometimes the ministry itself as a railway operator Other English names for the government railways include Imperial Japanese Government Railways and Imperial Government Railways which were mainly used prior to the establishment of the ministry This article covers the railways operated by the central government of Japan from 1872 to 1949 notwithstanding the official English name of the system of each era Network editBy the end of World War II in 1945 the Japanese Government Railways operated on the main Japanese islands of Honshu Hokkaidō Kyushu Shikoku and Karafuto The railways in Taiwan and Korea were operated by the local Governor General Offices the Taiwan Government General Railway and the Chosen Government Railway respectively and were not part of JGR Total operating distance of JGR as of March 31 of each year 1 2 Year mi km1881 76 3131 122 81401891 551 22 887 101901 822 49 1 323 671906 07 railway nationalization1911 4 870 6 7 838 51921 6 484 7 10 436 11931 9 056 4 14 574 91941 11 433 2 18 400 0While the JGR was the only major operator of intercity railways after the railways were nationalized in 1906 1907 privately owned regional railways were also active The gauge used for Japanese railways was 1 067 mm 3 ft 6 in narrow gauge other than some minor exceptions 184 2 km 114 5 mi total in the peak years of 1936 38 3 circular reference of 762 mm 2 ft 6 in gauge lines being used History edit nbsp Symbol mark of the Government Railways 工 is the kanji initial of the Ministry of Industry The first railway in Japan was operated by the imperial government in 1872 The idea of centralization of the railway was promoted under the idea of breaking down of the geographical barriers that existed in the feudal communities which hindered the centralization of authority Placing the railways under government control was for military and political ends the government had no intention for the central railway to be operated as a model enterprise Early shareholders of the railway were members of the nobility holding the major portion of the capital 4 The governmental system was largely expanded by the promulgation of the Railway Nationalization Act in 1906 In 1920 the Ministry of Railways was established In 1949 JGR was reorganized to become a state owned public corporation named the Japanese National Railways See also History of rail transport in Japan and Japanese National Railways Timeline edit June 12 1872 Provisional opening of Tokyo Yokohama railway Shinagawa Station Yokohama Station October 14 1872 Formal opening of Tokyo Yokohama railway ceremony at Shimbashi and Yokohama Stations October 1 1907 Completion of nationalization of 17 private railways under 1906 Railway Nationalization Act December 20 1914 Opening of Tokyo Station November 1 1925 Inauguration of the Yamanote Loop Line April 1 1943 Inclusion of Karafuto prefectural lines into national system February 1 1946 Official exclusion of Soviet occupied Karafuto lines from national system June 1 1949 Establishment of Japanese National Railways i e end of Japanese Government Railways April 1 1987 Privatization of JNR establishment of seven JR companiesHistorical operators of JGR edit Before the establishment of the Japanese National Railways as a public corporation on June 1 1949 the Japanese Government Railways were operated by the governmental agencies The table below shows the historical operators of the JGR 5 Translated names of ministries may not be official Names of the operating department generally mean department or office section agency of railways or like Date ofestablishment Ministry Department Note1870 04 19 Civil and Finance Ministry Japanese 民部大蔵省 Japanese pronunciation Mimbu Ōkura shō 鉄道係 Japanese pronunciation Tetsudō gakari in charge of construction only1870 08 06 Civil Ministry Japanese 民部省 Japanese pronunciation Minbu shō 1870 12 12 Ministry of Industry Japanese 工部省 Japanese pronunciation Kōbu shō 1871 09 28 鉄道寮 Japanese pronunciation Tetsudō ryō First railway opened in 1872 1877 01 11 鉄道局 Japanese pronunciation Tetsudō kyoku 1885 12 22 Cabinet Japanese 内閣 Japanese pronunciation Naikaku 1890 09 06 Home Ministry Japanese 内務省 Japanese pronunciation Naimu shō 鉄道庁 Japanese pronunciation Tetsudō chō 1892 07 21 Ministry of Communications Japanese 逓信省 Japanese pronunciation Teishin shō 1893 11 10 鉄道局1897 08 18 鉄道作業局 Japanese pronunciation Tetsudō sagyō kyoku Tetsudō kyoku survived as an administrative body for private railways till 1908 1907 04 01 帝国鉄道庁 Japanese pronunciation Teikoku Tetsudō chō 1908 12 05 Cabinet 鉄道院 Japanese pronunciation Tetsudō in Government Railways were commonly called In sen Japanese 院線 1920 05 15 Ministry of Railways Japanese 鉄道省 Japanese pronunciation Tetsudō shō Government Railways were commonly called Shō sen Japanese 省線 1943 11 01 Ministry of Transport and Communications Japanese 運輸通信省 Japanese pronunciation Un yu Tsushin shō 鉄道総局 Japanese pronunciation Tetsudō sōkyoku 1945 05 19 Ministry of Transport Japanese 運輸省 Japanese pronunciation Un yu shō Fare system editSince opening in 1872 the railway set fares for passengers in three classes The transportation of freight was charged based on weight and class of goods In 1872 passengers could choose from Upper Middle and Lower classes which were later renamed as First Second and Third classes Freight was shipped using one of five rates based on 100 kin of product 6 A 1923 review of the shipping tariffs further explained that goods are divided into three shipping classes according to the ways in which they are to be handled by the railway koguchi atsukai goods in small lots kashikini atsukai goods for a reserved freight car and tokushu atsukai goods requiring special treatment It was also possible to ship them via futsubin regularly scheduled trains and kyukobin express trains It may therefore be fairly said that the freight rates of the State owned railways in Japan are of absolute uniformity As Japan is an island nation it was noted that ocean going vessels are a major source of competition for the freight business of the railway 7 Technical details editThe railway invested heavily in methods to reduce coal consumption in steam locomotives between 1920 and 1936 coal consumption per kilometer traveled was reduced by about a quarter 8 The government mandated the use of automatic couplers on all cars on the system in July 1925 The system was transitioning from vacuum brakes to air brakes at this time with most freight cars equipped with air brakes by April 1927 9 Tourism promotion edit nbsp JGR poster for invitation of international touristsOne of the roles of the Japanese Government Railways was to attract foreign tourists to Japan In 1930 the government created the Board of Tourist Industry 国際観光局 Kokusai Kankō Kyoku as a section of the Japanese Government Railways Ministry of Railways The Board printed and distributed picture posters and English guidebooks overseas and encouraged development of resort hotels at home 10 The Board was dissolved in 1942 following the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941 Notable people editInoue Masaru Head of the government railways between 1871 and 1893 Hirai Seijirō Head of the government railways between 1904 and 1908 Gotō Shinpei Head of the government railways between 1908 and 1911 Takejirō Tokonami Head of government railways in 1920s and early 1930s Eisaku Satō Prime Minister of Japan in 1960s served as a railway official between 1924 and 1948 Hideo Shima Chief Engineer of Shinkansen ProjectNotes edit Ishino Tetsu et al eds 1998 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄 JR編 Station Transition Directory JNR JR in Japanese Vol I Tokyo JTB Corporation pp 256 285 ISBN 4 533 02980 9 recorded in miles until 1930 when JGR adopted the metric system ja 国鉄の特殊狭軌線 Japanese Wikipedia retrieved on 2009 04 06 Horie Yasuzo 1939 Government Industries in the Early Years of the Meiji Era The Kyoto University Economic Review 14 1 67 87 doi 10 11179 ker1926 14 67 hdl 2433 125296 ISSN 1884 5355 JSTOR 43217448 S2CID 150789911 Ishino supra p 42 vol I Sawa S 1956 Freight Classification Index of Japan National Railway PDF The Kyoto University Economic Review 26 1 43 52 doi 10 11179 ker1926 26 43 hdl 2433 125422 ISSN 1884 5355 JSTOR 43217039 Kojima S 1928 Characteristics of Tariff Freight Rates in the Shipping Business The Kyoto University Economic Review 3 1 100 126 doi 10 11179 ker1926 3 100 hdl 2433 125169 ISSN 1884 5355 JSTOR 43216692 Hata Hiroshi 2019 Trends in Energy saving Technology for Multiple Units from the Viewpoint of the Energy Consumption Rates of Railway Companies in Japan Quarterly Report of RTRI 60 2 77 80 doi 10 2219 rtriqr 60 2 77 ISSN 0033 9008 KAWAMURA M 1927 空 氣 制動 機 に 就 て 名古屋鐵道局技師 川 村 案 五 月二十五日電氣學會東海支部に於ける講演 On the air brake The Journal of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan in Japanese and English 47 471 1027 1040 doi 10 11526 ieejjournal1888 47 1027 ISSN 0020 2878 Nakagawa Koichi March 1998 Prewar Tourism Promotion by Japanese Government Railways PDF Japan Railway and Transport Review 15 25 27 ISSN 1342 7512 Archived from the original PDF on 2006 10 08 Retrieved 2007 11 14 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ministry of Railways Japan amp oldid 1190207571, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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