Railway - to Today

Although the period of Japan's advanced economic growth witnessed a dramatic surge in the volume of rail transport, it simultaneously saw the dramatic development of other means of conveyance. Management of Japanese National Railways proved incapable of remaining in step with social changes as a uniform nationwide administrative force, which led to a yearly decline in the status of the railways. Hence, Japan National Railways was divided and privatized into six passenger railway companies and one freight company in 1987.

Following privatization, each of these companies set about running services closely bound up to their respective regions, which saw the emergence of rolling stock and other aspects that bore the distinctive individual characteristics of each company's particular philosophy. This was also the case with the Shinkansen: JR West, in providing its Sanyo Shinkansen service (between Shin-Osaka and Hakata), which stood stiff competition with aircraft, put the priority on speed and convenience, while JR Tokaido in its administration of the Tokaido Shinkansen, whose transport volume was in difficult straits, placed priority on providing a train service closely tailored to the needs of business passengers. One further role that JR East Japan has assigned to its Tohoku Shinkansen (between Tokyo and Hachinohe) and Joetsu Shinkansen (between Tokyo and Niigata) is large-volume, high-speed transit primarily catering for commuters to the metropolitan area.