Japan Railways Group
TheJapan Railways Group,more commonly known as theJR Group(JRグループ,Jeiāru Gurūpu)or simplyJR,is a group of railway companies inJapanthat underwent division andprivatization(see also thearticleabout the reform on theJapanese Wikipedia) of the government-ownedJapanese National Railways(JNR) on April 1, 1987. It consists of sixpassenger railwaycompanies, onefreight railwaycompany, and two non-service companies. Most of theliabilityof the JNR was assumed by theJNR Settlement Corporation.
The JR Group operates a large proportion of intercity rail service (including theShinkansenhigh-speed rail lines) and commuter rail service.
JR Hokkaido,JR Shikoku,andJR Freight(JRF) are governed by theAct for the Passenger Railway Companies and Japan Freight Railway Company[1],also known as theJR Companies Act,and are under the control of the publicJapan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency(JRTT), whileJR East,JR Central,JR West,andJR Kyushuarecompletely floated in the stock market;in addition, JR East, JR Central and JR West are constituents of theNikkei 225andTOPIX100 indices. Because the railways used to be owned by the government, Japanese people generally make a distinction between JR railways (including former JR lines that are nowthird sector) and otherprivate railways,and JR railways are almost always denoted differently from other private railways when shown on maps.[2]
Background[edit]
By the 1970s, passenger and freight business had declined, and fare increases had failed to keep up with higher labor costs.[3]
The JR Group companies were formed out of theprivatizationof theJapanese National Railwaysin 1987.[4][5]
Ownership[edit]
In 1987, the government of Japan took steps to divide and privatize JNR. While division of operations began in April of that year, privatization was not immediate: initially, the government retained ownership of the companies. Privatization of some of the companies began in the early 1990s. By October 2016, all of the shares of JR East, JR Central, JR West and JR Kyushu had been offered to the market and they are now publicly traded. On the other hand, all of the shares of JR Hokkaido, JR Shikoku and JR Freight are still owned byJapan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency,anindependent administrative institutionof the state.
All the JR Group companies operating in theHonshūregion are constituents of theNikkei 225andTOPIX100 indexes.
Companies[edit]
Hokkaido
East
Central
West
Shikoku
Kyushu
The Japan Railways Group consists of seven operating companies and two other companies that do not provide rail service. The operating companies are organized into six passenger operators and a nationwide freight operator. Unlike some other groups of companies, the JR Group is made up of independent companies, and it does not have group headquarters or aholding companyto set the overall business policy.
The six passenger railways of the JR Group are separated by region. Nearly all their services are within the prescribed geographic area. However, some long-distance operations extend beyond the boundaries. TheShirasagitrain service betweenNagoyaandKanazawa,for instance, uses JR West rolling stock but the segment of track between Nagoya andMaibarais owned by JR Central, whose crew manage the train on that section.
Japan Freight Railway Companyoperates allfreightservice on the network previously owned by JNR.
In addition, the group includes two non-operating companies. These are theRailway Technical Research Instituteand Railway Information Systems Co., Ltd.
To cover various non-railway business areas, each regional operator in the JR Group has its own group of subsidiary companies with names like "JR East Group" and "JR Shikoku Group."
| Business | Logo and color | Company | Type | Traded as | Region(s) of operation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger | Grass |
Hokkaido Railway Company(JR Hokkaido) | Kabushiki gaisha | Not listed
Owned by JRTT |
Hokkaidō | operatesHokkaidō Shinkansenin Hokkaido |
Forest |
East Japan Railway Company(JR East) |
|
Tōhoku,Kantō,Hokuriku,Kōshin'etsu | operatesTōhoku Shinkansen,Yamagata Shinkansen,Akita Shinkansen,Jōetsu ShinkansenandHokuriku Shinkansen(with JR West) | ||
Pumpkin |
Central Japan Railway Company(JR Central) | Chūbu(includingTōkai,its Japanese eponym) | operatesTōkaidō Shinkansenin Kantō and Kansai | |||
Ocean |
West Japan Railway Company(JR West) |
|
Hokuriku,Kansai,Chūgoku,Kyūshū | operatesSanyō Shinkansenin Kansai, Chūgoku and Kyushu andHokuriku Shinkansen(with JR East) in Hokuriku | ||
Sky |
Shikoku Railway Company(JR Shikoku) | Not listed
Owned by JRTT |
Shikoku | |||
Scarlet |
Kyushu Railway Company(JR Kyushu) | Kyūshū | operatesKyūshū Shinkansenin Kyūshū | |||
| Freight |  Slate |
Japan Freight Railway Company(JR Freight) | Not listed
Owned by JRTT |
Nationwide | ||
| IT Services |  Burgundy |
Railway Information Systems Co., Ltd.(JR Systems) | Not listed
Owned by the 7 railway companies above[6] |
Nationwide | develops, operates and manages computer systems, includingMARS (ticket reservation system)[7] | |
| Research & Development |  Lavender |
Railway Technical Research Institute(RTRI) | Kōeki zaidan hōjin | A non-profit organization funded by the 7 railway companies above[8] | Nationwide | conducts research and development of railway-related technologies, such asSCMaglev[9] |
Network[edit]
JR maintains a nationwide railway network as well as common ticketing rules that it inherited from JNR. Passengers may travel across several JR companies without changing trains and without purchasing separate tickets. However, trains running across the boundaries of JR companies have been reduced.
JR maintains the same ticketing rules based on the JNR rules and has an integrated reservation system known asMARS(jointly developed withHitachi). Some types of tickets (passes), such asJapan Rail PassandSeishun 18 Ticket,are issued as "valid for all JR lines" and accepted by all passenger JR companies.
Unions[edit]
Various unions represent workers at the different JR Group companies, such as theNational Railway Workers' Union,All Japan Construction, Transport and General Workers' Union,Doro-Chiba,and theJapan Confederation of Railway Workers' Unions.
See also[edit]
- Rail transport in Japan
- List of railway companies in Japan
- Japan Railways locomotive numbering and classification
- SoftBank Telecom– former Japan Telecom, an affiliated company ofJNRestablished in 1984
References[edit]
- ^Lữ khách thiết đạo chu thức hội xã cập び nhật bổn hóa vật thiết đạo chu thức hội xã に quan する pháp luật,Ryokaku Tetsudō kabushiki gaisha oyobi Nippon Kamotsu Tetsudō kabushiki gaisha ni kan-suru hōritsu,Act No. 88 of December 4, 1986
- ^http://www.jreast.co.jp/renrakuteiki/index.htmlArchived2016-04-06 at theWayback MachineUsing Suica Railway Pass, connect from JR to Private Rail/Metro!
- ^"The Annual Report of Transport Economy(1975) - Chapter 4 Reconstruction of Japanese National Railways".Ministry of Transport.Retrieved2003-04-23.
- ^Kasai, Yoshiyuki (2021-10-25).Japanese National Railways – Its Break-up and Privatization: How Japan's Passenger Rail Services Became the Envy of the World.BRILL.ISBN978-90-04-21397-5.
- ^Imashiro, Mitsuhide; Ishikawa, Tatsujiro (2013-12-17).The Privatisation of Japanese National Railways: Railway Management, Market and Policy.A&C Black.ISBN978-1-78093-929-2.
- ^"Corporate Overview - JR RAILWAY INFORMATION SYSTEMS CO.,LTD".www.jrs.co.jp.Retrieved2023-12-05.
- ^"Products and Solutions - JR RAILWAY INFORMATION SYSTEMS CO.,LTD".www.jrs.co.jp.Retrieved2023-12-05.
- ^"Railway Technical Research Institute".Railway Technical Research Institute.Retrieved2023-12-05.
- ^"Railway Technical Research Institute".Railway Technical Research Institute.Retrieved2023-12-05.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Country Studies.Federal Research Division.–Japan
External links[edit]
- Hisakyu's Railway Guide(archived 21 July 2009)
- JR's Rule on Passenger Tickets
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
