The was promulgated by the Diet of Japan on June 21, 1892, and designated government support for a network of thirty-three railway lines covering most of Japan, with the exception of Hokkaidō. On April 11, 1922, the Diet amended the law to add an additional network of regional and local routes. Today, these lines form the backbone of the national railway network, JR (although JR has relinquished control of some of the more minor ones).

Lines designated by the Act of 1892 RouteYear CompletedLine name at presentLines of the central regionHachiōji or Gotenba — Kōfu — Suwa — Ina District or NishiChikuma District — Nagoya1911 Hachiōji — Nagoya via NishiChikuma District by national railway Chūō Main LineNagano or Shinonoi (present day in Nagano) — Matsumoto — connect to the previous clause route1902 Shinonoi — Shiojiri by national railway Shinonoi LineKōfu — Fujikawa1928 Kōfu — Fuji by private railway, 1941 nationalized Minobu LineLine to connect the Central region lines and the Hokuriku region lineGifu or Matsumoto — Takayama — Toyama1934 Gifu — Toyama by national railway Takayama Main LineLines of the Hokuriku regionTsuruga — Kanazawa — Toyama; and branch to Nanao1899 Tsuruga — Toyama by national railway; 1898 Tsubata — Nanao by private railway but not connected to main line until 1900 in Tsubata, 1907 nationalized Hokuriku Main Line, Nanao LineLine to connect the Hokuriku region line and the Echigo region lineToyama — Naoetsu (present day Jōetsu)1913 by national railway Hokuriku Main Line Line of the Echigo regionNaoetsu or Maebashi or Toyono — Niigata and Shibata1899 Naoetsu — Nuttari Station in Niigata by private railway, 1907 nationalized; 1912 connected Shibata by national railway; 1931 connected Maebashi by national railway; 1929 connected Toyono partly private railway, 1944 nationalized Shinetsu Main Line, Jōetsu Line, Iiyama LineLine to connect the Echigo region line and the Ōu region linesShibata — Yonezawa; or, Niitsu — Wakamatsu — Shirakawa or Motomiya1936 Shibata — Yonezawa by national railway; 1914 Niitsu — Kōriyama including 1906 nationalization section Uetsu Main Line, Yonesaka Line, West Ban'etsu LineLines of the Ōu region (Mutsu Province and Dewa Province)Fukushima — Yonezawa — Yamagata — Akita — Hirosaki — Aomori; and branch to Sakata1905 Fukushima — Aomori by national railway; 1914 Shinjō — Sakata by national railway Ōu Main Line, Rikuu West LineSendai or Ishinomaki — Tendō or Kogota — Funagata1937 Sendai — Yamagata by national railway; 1912 Ishinomaki — Kogota by private railway, 1919 nationalized; 1917 Kogota — Nagasawa Station (in Funagata) — Shinjō by national railwaySenzan Line, Ishinomaki Line, Rikuu East LineKitakami or Hanamaki — Yokote1924 Kitakami — Yokote by national railway Kitakami LineMorioka — Miyako or Yamada1934 Morioka — Miyako, 1935 connected Yamada by national railway Yamada LineLines of the Sōbu region (Shimōsa Province and Musashi Province)Tokyo — Chiba — Sakura — Chōshi; and branch to Kisarazu1897 Honjo Station in Tokyo — Chōshi by private railway, 1907 nationalized; 1912 connected Kisarazu including 1907 nationalization section Sōbu Main Line, Uchibō LineLine of the Jōban region (Hitachi Province and Iwaki Province)Mito — Taira — Iwanuma1898 by private railway, 1906 nationalized Jōban LineLines of the Kinki regionNara — Tsuge (present day in Iga-City) 1898 by private railway, 1907 nationalized Kansai Main LineOsaka or Yagi or Takada — Gojō — Wakayama1900 Takada — Wakayama by private railways, 1907 nationalizedWakayama LineKyoto — Nara1896 by private railway, 1907 nationalized Nara LineKyoto — Maizuru1910 Kyoto — Ayabe including 1907 nationalization section San'in Main LineLines of the San'yō regionMihara — Shimonoseki1901 by private railway, 1906 nationalized San'yō Main LineKaitaichi — Kure1903 by national railway Kure LineLine of the San'in regionMaizuru — Toyooka — Tottori — Matsue — Hamada — Yamaguchi1923 Fukuchiyama — Ogōri by national railway San'in Main Line, Yamaguchi LineLines to connect the Sanyō region and the San'in regionHimeji — Ikuno or Sasayama — Maizuru or Sonobe; or Tsuchiyama (present day eastern border of Kakogawa) — Fukuchiyama — Maizuru1906 Himeji — Ikuno — Wadayama by private railway, 1906 nationalized; 1904 Amagasaki — Sasayama — Tanikawa — Fukuchiyama — Ayabe — Maizuru by private railway, 1907 nationalized 1924 Kakogawa — Tanikawa by private reilway, 1943 nationalized Bantan Line, Fukuchiyama Line, Maizuru Line, Kakogawa LineHimeji — Tottori; or Okayama — Tsuyama — Yonago — Sakai; or Kurashiki or Tamashima (present day in Kurashiki) — Sakai1936 Himeji — Tsuyama by national railway; 1898 Okayama — Tsuyama by private railway, 1944 nationalized; 1932 Tsuyama — Tottori by national railway; 1928 Kurashiki — Yonago by national railway; 1902 Yonago — Sakai by national railway Kishin Line, Tsuyama Line, Inbi Line, Hakubi LineHiroshima — HamadaNot completed Lines of the Shikoku regionKotohira — Kōchi — Susaki1935 by national railwayDosan LineTokushima — connect to the previous clause route1914 Tokushima — Awa-Ikeda including 1907 nationalization section Tokushima LineTadotsu — Imabari — Matsuyama1927 by national railwayYosan LineLines of the Kyūshū regionSaga — Sasebo and Nagasaki1898 via Takeo and Ōmura by private railway, 1907 nationalized; 1934 via Kashima, by national railwaySasebo Line, Ōmura Line, Nagasaki Main LineKumamoto — Uto — Misumi; and branch line as Uto — Yatsushiro — KagoshimaTo Misumi 1899 by private railway, 1907 nationalized; To Kagoshima 1909 via Hitoyoshi and Hayato, including 1907 nationalization section; 1927 via Minamata and Sendai by national railwayMisumi Line, Kagoshima Main Line, Hisatsu Line, Hisatsu Orange RailwayKumamoto — Ōita1928 by national railwayHōhi Main LineKokura — Ōita — Miyazaki — Kagoshima1923 via Kobayashi and Yoshimatsu including nationalization sections; 1932 via Takarabe by national railwayNippō Main Line, Kitto LineIizuka — Haruda (present day Chikushino)1929 including 1907 nationalization sectionChikuhō Main LineKurume — Yamaga — KumamotoNot completed

Notable main lines before the Act The lines listed below were not covered by the act, since they were already built by that time. Tokyo — Gotenba — Nagoya — Gifu — Maibara — Kusatsu — Kyoto — Osaka — Kōbe (Tōkaidō Main Line) Tokyo — Hachiōji (Chūō Main Line as Chūō Line Rapid) Takasaki — Shinonoi — Nagano — Toyono — Naoetsu (Shin’etsu Main Line) Maibara — Tsuruga (Hokuriku Main Line) Ōmiya — Takasaki — Maebashi (Takasaki Line) Tokyo — Ōmiya — Shirakawa — Fukushima — Iwanuma — Sendai — Kogota — Kitakami — Morioka — Aomori (Tōhoku Main Line) Tokyo — Mito (Jōban Line) Nagoya — Kameyama — Tsuge — Kusatsu (Kansai Main Line and Kusatsu line) Osaka — Ōji — Nara (Tōkaidō Main Line and Nara Line) Ōji — Takada Kōbe — Himeji — Okayama — Mihara Marugame — Tadotsu — Kotohira Moji — Kokura — Hakata — Tosu — Kurume — Ōmuta — Kumamoto Tosu — Saga Wakamatsu — Iizuka

See also Railway Nationalization Act History of rail transport in Japan

References