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Number of passengers carried along the trunk lines in the country increased
by 2.3 times in ten years from fiscal 1963 to fiscal 1973 or from 235,000,000
to 536,000,000. By type of transport, a remarkable increase is noted in the
automobile and also in the aircraft, yet the railway still occupies a great
weight, as shown in Fig. 2-1-1.
Particularly noted in this period is the trunk line passenger transport
at higher speed supported by the progress in the provision and improvement of
the traffic network of trunk lines such as New Railway Trunk Line and air lines.
In 1974, the proportion of the passengers utilizing the special express of the
National Railways and air lines in passenger-kilometers is increasing.
Among all, the New Railway Trunk Line, with opening of the line to Hakata
in March 1975, had the transport (whole line) in the first half of 1975 increased
greatly by 29.6 percent over the same term of the previous year due mainly to
the shift from the aircraft and inducement of new demand.
Such trunk line passenger transport at higher speed is indicative that the
passengers are seeking better service as seen in the increasing number of passengers
utilizing the first class of the National Railways and, at the same time, that
the elevation of income level and relative decline of the transport fare have
made it possible. Now looking the trunk line passenger transport by area, it
should be noted that the passenger transport is extending over a wide area depending
on the development of local area or diversification of the sightseeing and recreation.
Further, with improvement of the income, the Japanese overseas travellers increased
sharply to 2,340,00 (in 1974 or about 8.8 times that in 1965. Thus, the increase
of the international passenger transport in use of aircraft was noticeable.
For the cargo transport along the trunk lines in the country, it increased
from 280,000,000 tons in 1963 to 614,000,000 tons in 1973 or 2.2 times in ten
years. (Fig. 2-1-2) By the item
of commodity, the growth was particularly noted in the oil and other chemical
products and metals and machinery such as iron and steel and transport machines
with the development of the heavy chemical and machinery industries in the background.
Such change in the composition of commodities and that in the industrial
structure in the background gave a great influence upon the volume of transport
by type of transport. The coastal shipping increased greatly mainly with respect
to the oil and iron and steel on account of the conversion of energy from coal
to oil, increased dependency of the resources on the foreign countries and development
of the coastal industrial zones, and resulting improvement of the port and harbor
facilities and allotment of larger vessels exclusively for coastal lines. The
automobile had its transport increased greatly as it was supported by the development
of road network to offer its benefits of mobility and reliability and thus absorbed
the increased demand of secondary products such as machines and other miscallaneous
industrial products which were capable of bearing the increased freightage.
On the other hand, the railways had a decrease in the primary products such
as coal and ore because of such factors as the change of the industrial structure,
etc. Further, it had a shortage generally in the investment to freight equipment
except limited areas of container transport, etc. Thus, it continued to include
the difficulties of delay in modernization and bottlenecks in the main lines
and also in the strategic stations in large cities. Consequently, its transport
is in a decreasing trend.
With expansion of the scale of economy, the trade of our country has Progressed
remarkably, and thus in fiscal 1974, the import consisting mainly of basic materials
such as crude oil and iron ore reached 599,000,000 tons (2.9 times of that in
fiscal 1965), while the export of mainly industrial products such as iron and
steel reached 65,000,000 tons (2.7 times).
On the other hand, with progress of the modernization and rationalization
in the productive and other divisions, rationalization of the cargo transport
has been called for, and the exclusive transport of material or cargo in the
respective transportation facilities and cooperative through transportation
such as long distance ferry, international maritime container, freight liner,
etc. have developed steadily.
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