Rail closures total 1,366 km in Japan over 30 yrs amid depopulation

Railway services on 1,366 kilometers of track among 68 sections, or 5 percent of Japan's total network, have been discontinued over the past three decades, a Kyodo News analysis showed Saturday, highlighting the shrinking of public transportation options in rural areas.Most of the sections closed between fiscal 1996 and fiscal 2025 were in depopulating regions, with roughly one-third of the total track length in Hokkaido, northern Japan.According to an analysis of data released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the pace of closures has accelerated, with 387 km …READ FULL ARTICLE