 |
 |
 |
(1) Trends in Passenger Transport
1) Domestic Transport
Domestic passenger transport in FY1989 totaled 77.3 billion persons and
1.267 trillion passenger-kilometers, up 5.6 percent and 6.4 percent respectively
from the preceding fiscal year (Table
5).
Features of passenger transport in FY1989 were that the JR's growth, which
was high the previous fiscal year, held steady and that transport by privately-owned
cars chalked up a dramatic increase while air transport registered impressively
on both trunk and local routes. It is conceived that such favorable growth of
passenger transport was supported by an increase in domestic demand, notably
consumption and private plant and equipment investments, but the situation was
apparently favorably affected by developments resulting from the introduction
of the consumption tax.
By mode of transportation, JR and private railways continued to perform
steadily while motor vehicles continued to record impressive growth, notably
passenger cars. Again, Long-distance highspeed buses, Late-night buses and chartered
buses performed very well and so did airlines, but taxi and hired taxi transport
showed a downward trend partly because of the shortage of drivers.
2) International Passenger Transport
Against a backdrop of an increase for seven straight years in the number
of international travelers, the number of persons who left Japan in 1989 hit
an all-time high of 9.66 million, reflecting a trend toward steady personal
consumption while the number of people entering Japan the same year also registered
a record high of 2.48 million (Fig.
23).
(2) Trends in Freight Transport
1) Domestic Freight Transport
Reflecting the booming economy, domestic freight transport in FY1989 totaled
6, 509,800,000 tons and 513,440,000,000 tonnage-kilometers, up 5.8 percent and
6.3 percent respectively from the preceding fiscal year (Table
6). Features of domestic freight transport are that the volume of freight
carried by all means of transportation, including private railways whose freight
transport in the preceding fiscal year recorded negative growth, increased.
In the period of economic expansion (FY1987), freight transport increased
in FY1989, as it did in FY1988, at a pace exceeding GNP growth. This period
of economic expansion, unlike the previous period of economic expansion (FY1983
and FY1984) which was sparked by external demand centering around export-related
processing and assembly-type industries, was led by domestic deranged as in
the preceding period of economic expansion (FY1978 and FY1979). Because of this,
the ripple effects on industries and economies as a whole were high and consumption
increased. On the other hand, equipment investment and housing construction
were revitalized, hence heavy construction-related freights increased relatively,
with the result that domestic freight transport increased notably (Fig.
24).
By mode of transportation, JR freight slackened compared with FY1988 when
it registered substantial growth, but it generally maintained a smooth increase
centered on containers (Fig. 25),
while freight transport by motor vehicles, notably those for commercial purpose,
coastal shipping and domestic airlines maintained steady increases.
2) International Transport
World economies did not achieve growth as solid in 1989 as in the previous
year, but they ran at high levels. In these circumstances, Japan's suborn trade,
reflecting the domestic demand-led economic boom, continued to increase in imports
and decrease in exports.
(3) Recent Transport Trends (to August 1990)
Both passenger transport and freight transport continued to move firmly
owing to continuously booming economy and the expansion of personal consumption.
Demand for passenger transport rose thanks to the International Garden and Greenery
Exposition which was held in Osaka from April to September.
(4) Transport Movements After the Opening of the Seikan Tunnel and Seto
Ohashi Bridge
A look at the flow of people and goods between Honshu and Hokkaido following
the opening of the Seikan Tunnel, and also between Shikoku and Honshu after
the opening of the Seto Ohashi Bridge, shows that, in general terms, the volume
of passenger and freight transport increased smoothly. The flow of passengers,
however, decreased compared with the previous year according to mode of transportation,
affected by reactions, including booms before and after the opening of these
bridges.
|
|
|