한국일본학회

The current study examined the process of Japanese railways abandonment over time and discussed the conflicts between pros and cons of this national railway abandonment in the period of high growth. In post-war Japan, the railway abandonment involved mainly the small private railways. The abandonment of the national railway was delayed due to conflicts between the pros and cons of the abandonment. In fact, there was political opposition to the abandonment of the Tanaka cabinet, which was made on the pretext of balanced national development. On the other hand, those who advocated the abandonment put the management logic of public role in rail transport. In Japan’s local cities, railway is an urban infrastructure imparting a large impact on the region. Many local cities were restructured with central stations. The management logic which devalues the contribution of the local rail transport can weaken the fundamental competitiveness of the region, and lead to a vicious cycle of local shrinkage. The discussions led to endless arguments whether to abandon railways or not rather than seeking new possibilities which consequently resulted in financial intimidation of the operator, JNR. The fundamental cause of the abandonment was not ‘local shrinkage’, but was considered a short-sighted response of the region that only valued the management performance of railroad operators, but did not actively respond to the regional changes.