Railway strikes in Japan – Past and Present (and Future?)

• Introduction
• Before the Privatisation of JNR
• After the Privatisation of JNR
• Other Railways
• Conclusion

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Introduction

(Sample image)

On 6 and 7 June, London Underground was mostly closed due to strike action. On 21, 23 and 25 June, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (hereinafter referred to as RMT) carried out the largest industrial action in more than three decades, resulting in extremely severe train disruption across England, Scotland and Wales. Many protests have been taken place amid the cost of living crisis, and it is reported that the RMT may conduct further walkouts.

There are mixed views about the latest industrial action, but many Japanese people living in the UK are frustrated by railways, as they are far from punctual and reliable in spite of disproportionately expensive fares, then they faced these events with disappointment. In addition, Japanese people are not familiar with strikes so that they are confused.

Is a strike illegal in Japan today? Of course not, as Article 28 of the Constitution prescribes that "The right of workers to organize and to bargain and act collectively is guaranteed.", and other relevant laws also have provisions about labour rights. Then, isn't there any railway strike in Japan? Not common in these days, but there had been many cases in the past, especially when it comes to Japanese National Railways.

Before the Privatisation of JNR

In 1948, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (hereinafter referred to as the SCAP) issued Decree No. 201 that restricts public servants' labour rights. In the previous year, a massive general strike lead by Japanese Communist Party was about to take place, but it was outlawed by the SCAP. To put it simply, the US Government feared that allowing strikes would make Japan a potential ally of the USSR. Thus, the SCAP ordered any industrial action by public entities' staffs be prohibited, and instead established committees for arbitration and mediation.

(One of the most common steam locomotive at that time)

By the early-1950s, it became clear that the arbitration scheme would not work well as the Japanese Government refused a pay rise due to financial difficulties. Trade unions relied on work-to-rule protests from 1952, and the first strike was taken place in 1961. The Decree had already been expired, but still JNR staffs were not allowed to go on a strike. Trade unions declared a "strike for a right to strike". The government and trade unions had negotiations several times, many of which were unsuccessful.

"Strikes for a right to strike" continued for more than a decade. Since there were far fewer services than today, trains were always packed by commuters, many of whom described the congestion as life-threatening, and the industrial action made the situation even worse. On 13 March 1973, the fury of commuters burst at Ageo station on Takasaki line, about 25 miles north of Tokyo. It is called the Ageo Incident, a riot by more than 10,000 local residents and passengers. They destroyed trains and other facilities including signals, and grabbed senior staffs and forced them to walk for a few miles on track. On 24 April 1973, there were similar but larger riots in Tokyo (Riots on JNR Commuter Rail in the Greater Tokyo Area). There is an article of The New York Times on web describing these two cases.

From 26 November to 3 December 1975, the longest industrial action of JNR was taken place. Almost all JNR services – both passenger and freight trains – were cancelled across the country for eight consecutive days. The government acted swiftly, declared emergency in accordance with the Road Transport Vehicle Act, and ordered mobilisation of lorries. The replacement for freight trains was successful and no major logistical issues reported. Most trade unions for private railways did not join the industrial action. The "strikes for a right to strike" strategy ended in failure: according to an opinion poll conducted in 1975, 55% answered that JNR staff should not claim the right to strike, and 72.2% of them said that industrial action was annoying and irritating.

Strike actions had a huge negative impact on JNR. They hampered modernisation of technologies, made productivity worse and resulted in costly business. Other business sectors concluded that JNR was so unreliable that they shifted to road transportation. As the government constructed many motorways, lorries became cheaper, faster and more punctual than freight trains.

In the early-1980s, the Liberal Democratic Party held discussions about privatisation of JNR. The main reason for the privatisation was huge deficits that JNR produces every year, but weakening trade unions was said to be one of its objectives as well. Trade unions resisted violently: on 29 November 1985, National Railway Chiba Motive Power Union (also known as Doro Chiba) and Revolutionary Communist League, National Committee (also known as Chukaku-ha, lit. Central Core Faction) destroyed 33 communication cables, signals and power facilities, and 22 lines in the Greater Tokyo Area were suspended. Even with these "efforts", JNR was privatised on 1 April 1987, and split to several companies, which are now called JR.

After the Privatisation of JNR

As JNR was privatised, staffs were no longer a part of public servants, and hence they have been enjoying labour rights without limitation. Even so, like other sectors, railway companies in Japan have been free from strikes in most cases. Companies and trade unions now prefer cooperative approach rather than confrontational one. However, some argues that such a change is responsible for low pay rises for decades, Asahi Shimbun reports.

Kururi line was particularly prone to service suspension.

Doro Chiba is one of few exceptions that carried out strikes until recently. There were walkouts for nine consecutive years until 2010, most of which were held in spring. Even today, the union has been organising various protests in Chiba and Tokyo, one of which was an anti-American and US-Japan alliance demonstration held in the capital when President Biden visited Japan in May. On 29 June, the union issued its latest statement condemning not only Vladimir Putin but also the United States, NATO and the Japanese government. They look active, but they have not held any major strike in recent years.

Since major industrial action resulted in failure and public trust in JNR/JR plummeted, JR companies and unions endeavoured to reconstruct their business by making themselves attractive in the 1990s and 2000s. Nevertheless, the out-of-date cultures of JNR unions still exist in some places. JR Hokkaido Union is accused of too many troubles, such as boycotting safety procedures and health checks and destroying train facilities. The memories of JNR trade unions (and some ongoing troubles) have certainly been affecting the discussions about railways even today. For example, many rural lines in Hokkaido have been closed or about to close, but not a few local governments and residents support permanent closure of these lines and stations, because they do not think it is right to help JR Hokkaido by taxpayers' money, as Diamond pointed out.

JR companies have been free from industrial action for years, but they have not always treated their employees fairly with good working conditions and pay rises. In 2018, East Japan Railway Workers' Union, the largest trade union of JR East, attempted to go on a strike for the first time in more than 30 years. However, it failed again, and it caused a devastating damage on the union itself. As most workers hated the idea of such an action, they denounced the union and withdrew from it. According to Nikkei, the number of Union members dramatically declined from 47,000 in 2018 to just around 5,500 by 2021.

JR companies have been keen to downsizing in recent years, especially after the pandemic began. They have been adopting driver-only operation on various lines including busy commuter rail, and even developing driverless operation in Tokyo and other cities. Trade unions could resist them, but there has been no sign of major action so far.

Other Railways

Private railways unions had been on strikes as well until the 1980s, though not as frequently as those of JNR. Since 1992, almost of all private railway networks have been free from industrial action, but there are a few exceptions. Sotetsu Labor Union is active, lively one compared to others. In 2014, services were cancelled from around 5:00 to 6:30 am. The strike was supposed to last for 24 hours but trains were reinstated minutes before the morning rush hour began. Strikes were also carried out in 2004 and 2009. According to local newspaper Kanagawa Shimbun, commuters and local residents at stations condemned staff and yelled out for compensation, and nobody supported the action.

Okayama Electric Tramway

A few other small private railways, such as Shonan Monorail in Kanagawa Prefecture and Okayama Electric Tramway, have held strikes. In the latter case in 2018, all tram services ran as scheduled, but drivers refused ticket and fare collection for the whole day. But they are exceptional, and even during gradual inflation triggered by post-pandemic recovery and Russian invasion to Ukraine, most unions are likely to concentrate only on negotiation, though not certain if it will pay off.

Conclusion

Industrial action had been common in Japan in the past, but it has been very rare since the 1990s. Memories of severe disruptions have had a significant impact on people's minds so that strikes are not welcomed by most citizens, and it also made some local governments reluctant to help railways. Today, a walkout is unpopular even among railway staffs, and JR East Workers' Union failed to conduct one in 2018. Most other private railways are in the same situation, and therefore it is highly unlikely to see a major industrial action like the one held by the RMT anytime soon in Japan.

Platform edge doors and fare rise

On 6th April, JR East announced a fare rise in the Greater Tokyo Area. On the next day, Tokyo Metro announced a fare rise as well. They charge 10 more yen for each single ticket. With the additional source of revenue, both companies will install more platform edge doors (also known as platform screen doors) across the entire network.

The very first platform edge doors are said to be the ones at Park Pobedy station in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which were installed in 1961. The first ones in Japan were installed on Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail in 1974 (excluding a demonstration at Expo '70). Unsurprisingly, platform edge doors were mainly for small stations with trains passing at dangerously high speed. In terms of ordinary railway (i.e. non high-speed rail nor monorail), Namboku line in Tokyo was the first one among them.

The platform edge door had been very rare until the 1990s, but it has become mandatory for new stations after 2000, as "Act on Promotion of Smooth Transportation, etc. of Elderly Persons, Disabled Persons, etc." (also known as the Barrier-Free Transport Act) was promulgated. Railway companies are not obligated to install the doors on existing stations, but several tragedies (some of which were blind people being hit by a train) gave impetus to do more. In 2020, The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (hereinafter referred to as the Transport Ministry) adopted a report that railway companies should make stations with more than 3,000 daily users 100% accessible.

However, the platform edge doors are so expensive that even major railway companies have been struggling to deal with implementing the policy. Hence, the Transport Ministry established Railway Station Barrier Free Fares Scheme in 2021, which allows railway companies to raise fares in so far as the extra income is duly spent for making stations accessible. Not only installing platform edge doors, but also lifts and accessible toilets are included. Even so, the most important issue is the platform edge doors, since more than 94% of JR East stations in the area already have lifts and accessible toilets.

JR East raises fares in March 2023. Tokyo Metro is also expected to do so at the same time. JR East and Tokyo Metro plan to complete installing the platform edge doors on stations required by the Barrier-Free Transport Act by 2032 and 2026, respectively. Since the fare rise is reasonable and justifiable, most passengers surely accept it. More railway companies are highly likely to follow JR East and Tokyo Metro.

*Sources including a press release of JR East, a document from the Transport Ministry and a newspaper article of Yomiuri Shimbun.

The end of "trains with so many doors" in Japan

Sanjo (Keihan), 26 Oct 2020

On Saturday 4th September, the last unit of Keihan 5000 series on mainline was taken out of regular service, more than 50 years after the introduction. Keihan initially planned to withdraw it in June, but deferred for three months. The series had been well known for having five sets of door per carriage, while most commuter trains in Japan have three or four.

In the late-1960s, Keihan had been struggling to deal with delays triggered by extreme congestion. Since it was not possible for the company to run more services or make existing trains longer, it decided to introduce trains with more doors. The 5000 series contributed to smooth boarding and alighting, minimising delays and thus easing congestion.

The most unique feature of the 5000 series was the seating. Second and fourth doors were used only during peak hours, and at off-peak hours the train was used as if an ordinary three-door train. As the video shows, seating could be stored when all doors were in use. To avoid troubles and accidents, the seats were stored or extracted when no passenger is on board.

The history of trains with more doors than usual started when the Keihan 5000 series was introduced. In the 1990s, railway companies in Tokyo followed Keihan. However, those in the capital did not adopt all ambitious features: only one or a few carriages per unit had five or six sets of doors, and there was no machine that stores or extracts additional seating.

Satte - Sugito-takanodai, 15 Oct 2016

In 1990, Teito Rapid Transit Authority (now Tokyo Metro) introduced 03 series with five sets of door. Tobu Railway later introduced a similar type of commuter train (20000 series). However, they were said to be infamous for being too cold in winter, as there were simply too many doors.

Keio introduced 6000 series with five sets of door as well, which was not successful.

Yokohama, 4 Feb 2014

In 1991, JR East introduced intermediate carriages of 205 series that have six sets of door. They were inserted to existing units on Yamanote Line, and later on Saikyo and Yokohama Lines. In addition, many 209 and E231 series units had six-door carriage as well from the very beginning.

Takadanobaba, 3 Feb 2014

In Tokyo, five or six-door carriages were usually inserted to the most crowded part of the unit. In other words, companies took account of location of staircases and ticket gates at major stations. The above photo is the 205 series on Saikyo Line, the second and third coaches of which are six-door carriages.

Unsurprisingly, not a few passengers disliked them because there were fewer seating than ordinary carriages. Some described it a de facto parcel train delivering workers to the office.

Tokyo, 1 Jul 2010

Those five and six-door carriages rapidly dwindled in the 2010s. The biggest reason for the decline was platform edge doors. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has been encouraging railway companies to install platform edge doors, to prevent accidents and make platforms safer especially for disabled people, but those five and six-door carriages did not fit the safety measure.

Moreover, since trains in these days are less crowded than before, thanks to railway companies' great efforts to ease congestion, such carriages with so many doors were no longer in need. Some foreigners claim that the population decline is the main cause, but it is not true, as it is still a gradual change and not applicable to major cities like Tokyo.

Obukuro - Kita-koshigaya, 29 Apr 2016

The newest one among them was Tokyu 5000 series, with three out of ten carriages per unit (the third, sixth and seventh coaches) had six sets of door. They were introduced in 2005-10 to Den-en-toshi Line, one of the most crowded line in the country. Even so, Tokyu replaced all of them with four-door coaches by 2017, in advance of installing platform edge doors. Some of them were demolished less than six years after being built.

The history of trains with more doors than usual started and ended with the Keihan 5000 series. Those trains were not necessarily great, as there were often fewer seats, but surely worth noting. They are now all gone, but it does not mean the decline of Japanese railway, as the withdrawals are aimed for better, safer rail transport in the 21st century.

Japan and the UK: the Causes of Train Disruption

Britain's trains are notorious for having terrible reliability, especially with regard to punctuality. They have been criticised as one of the worst railway systems in Europe because of too many delays and cancellations in spite of expensive train fares.

On the other hand, Japan's trains have often been praised as legendary, the most reliable public transport in the world. It is true that they are the most punctual in the world (alongside with The Netherlands and Switzerland), and Japanese people take it for granted. However, they are not always perfect, and small delays of 3-5 minutes are not uncommon. So, what cause delays in Japan, and how are they different from the UK?

This article briefly describes common reasons for train disruption. Since Japanese people prefer humble and indirect expressions, they use subtle words even in English, sometimes making them difficult to comprehend. They could slightly differ depending on companies, but in any case, they are different from what native speakers would say. Let us see how they can be translated to "National Rail language" in Britain.

1.     Passenger injury （人身事故）

This is what British railway companies call "a person being hit by a train". Sadly, this is quite common particularly in major cities like Tokyo and Osaka. Many people think it is suicide, but not necessarily. It includes blind person, a person concentrating on his/her smartphone too much or a drunk being hit by a train. It takes about 10 minutes when the person suffered from minor injury, while 60+ minutes if the person committed suicide, and it would be even longer when it is raining or at night, to collect "everything that belonged to him/her" (which implies parts of his/her body have been in a tragic condition).

The Transport Ministry has been encouraging railway companies to install platform edge doors to prevent unfortunate accidents, and hopefully the number of cases significantly decline in the near future. 

 

2.     Person on tracks （線路内人立入）

It is simple: "a trespasser on track". For example, if a person drops something (wallet, smartphone etc.) and he/she attempts to collect it by him/herself, it may halt trains nearby. Sometimes, a person enters and cross tracks where there is no level crossing or pedestrian bridge. Another possible cause is, again, a drunk.

 

3.     Safety check （安全確認）

It suggests a minor trouble, but its true reason may vary, such as a false alarm, a person unsuccessfully rushed on to a train (and probably his/her bag and its owner are separated by a door) or a reckless person/vehicle entering a closed level-crossing. And recently, platform edge doors often cause troubles as well. A minor signal trouble is another reason for it.

In addition, there is even something attributed to a train crew, such as an emergency stop triggered by a safety protection system because of exceeding a speed limit. It is sometimes called "signal inspection".

 

4.     Train inspection （車両点検, 車両故障）

It is equivalent to "a train fault" or "a broken down train". JR East tends to suffer from this trouble more frequently than other companies, as its trains are not "sturdy".

 

5.     Passenger rescue （急病人救護）

To be simple, "a person being taken ill". In Britain, it sometimes block the mainline for hours, but station staffs in Japan respond very quickly and thus train delays are kept to a minimum, like 5-10 minutes.

 

6.     Passengers trouble （お客様トラブル）

It is called "police incident" in Britain, but this term in Japan can be less serious, like quarrel, minor fighting, sexual harassment (but not assault) and so on. In most cases, station staffs kindly ask persons in question to leave the train and "humbly listen to" them at station building.

In the mid-2000s, JR East used even vaguer expression, "車内お客様ご案内" - which could be interpreted as "inviting a passenger on a train with the greatest respect (to leave)".

 

7.     Signal / point failure（信号故障、ポイント故障）

They are common technical failures. Point failure is a main cause of disruption when there is a significant snowfall in Tokyo, as points are frozen.

In the 1970s and 80s, extremists who were opposing the privatisation of Japanese National Railways severed signal and communication cables. But fortunately, such incident is extremely rare in these days. 

 

8.     Congestion（混雑）

It is the most common reason for delays during morning peak hours. Railway companies in major cities have been working hard to ease congestion, by introducing trains with larger bodies and more doors, making platforms wider and urging passengers to board or alight the train in an orderly fashion. Even so, not a few services in the morning are delayed for 2-5 minutes, especially when it is raining.

 

9.     Severe weather

Japan is prone to natural disasters, like torrential rains, landslides, floods, high winds, heavy snow and so on. It sometimes takes hours for services to be resumed. However, unlike in Britain, trains in Japan are not affected by a heatwave.

 

10.  Earthquake

Earthquake is another threat of natural disaster in Japan, but most of them do not matter. Generally speaking, if Shindo scale of Japanese Meteorological Agency is 4 of 1-7, train services could be suspended for minutes. If it is 5-lower, trains would be halted for hours. If it is more than 6-lower, it would take days or even weeks to be reinstated. Click here for the definitions of Shindo scale.

 

11.  Wild animals

(How many deer are there?)

There are various wild animals that could affect train services, but deer and wild boars account for 90% of those tragic accidents.

  

These eleven reasons are typical causes of train disruption in Japan. Most of them are common in the UK as well, except earthquake. Then, what are the main causes of delay in Britain that are extremely rare in Japan?

 

First, staff shortage ("a lack of available crew", "a train crew member being unavailable" etc.) never happens in Japan. Most railway companies secure a little more crews than actually necessary. It is often called "the spare shift", and each driver or conductor is allocated to it once a month (depending on companies). They usually tidy up rooms, cook meals, do some paperwork, or watch TV and eat chocolates or crisps. They get on trains when necessary, so that railway companies do not have to cancel services.

 

(The worst memory I have ever had in the UK)

Second, train shortage (like "a lack of available train", "more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time") does not happen in Japan either. Like train crews, railway companies have spare units to deal with unpredictable troubles. When it is extremely unlucky, there could be some cancellations, but not as many as in the UK.

 

Third, planned engineering work in Japan takes place generally less than once a year, while it is carried out far more frequently (like every weekend) in Britain. Hokkaido Shinkansen is one of few exceptions, as JR Hokkaido often cancels some bullet train services due to construction work in Seikan Tunnel.

 

Finally, strikes do not usually happen in Japan in these days. As noted above, trade unions of Japanese National Railways have been particularly aggressive in the 1970s-80s, but the privatisation successfully weakened those industrial actions. However, as the largest trade union of JR East declared in 2018 that it would not rule out resorting to such actions, the tranquillity might be over in the near future. Trade unions of private railways do not hold strikes either except that of Sotetsu, which recently carried out them in 2004, 2009 and 2014.

And in Japan, even when a train is delayed, it will never skip any station which is supposed to call at. When I was living in the UK, I was astonished to see a delayed train passing stations to make the delay shorter (and presumably to avoid refunds). Again, it never happens in Japan except in case of emergency, such as earthquake (e.g. the Osaka Earthquake in 2018) and terror attack (e.g. the Tokyo Sarin Attack in 1995).

 

In conclusion, Japanese trains are still very punctual compared to most countries, but it does not mean that everything always goes perfect. Therefore, it is a little bit risky to depend too much on a journey planner result, as something could go wrong. There is a very easy way to avoid such a trouble: plan your schedule with some extra time, especially when there is an important event such as taking exams.

An unusual level crossing in Zushi, south of Tokyo

In Zushi City (Kanagawa Prefecture, approximately 45 km south of Tokyo), there is an unusual, unsafe level crossing. It has been controversial for years, but JR East has finally decided to close it permanently on 20th August.

As an introduction, here is a brief summary of level crossing in Japan. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (hereinafter referred to as the Transport Ministry), there are 33,004 level crossings in Japan as of March 2020. Though halved in the last 50 years, there are still far more crossings than any major countries (probably except China and India). In Tokyo, there are roughly 13 times more than in New York and Berlin, 48 times more than in London and 89 times more than in Paris. Those in Japan are classified into four categories. Figures are based on the survey conducted by the Ministry.

• Category 1 crossings have automatic signals and barriers, or are controlled by staff. 90% of crossings in the country fall in this category.
• Category 2 crossings were controlled by staff but not all-day. When unstaffed, they were equivalent to Category 4. All of them were replaced with Category 1 crossings by 1985.
• Category 3 crossings have automatic signals but no barrier. There are 684 crossings in the country, or 2%.
• Category 4 crossings do not have neither of them. There are 2,603 crossings in Japan, approximately 7.9%. They are mostly in rural areas.

Needless to say, Category 4 level crossings are unsafe, and the Transport Ministry has been urging railway companies to close them, or at least upgrade them to Category 1. Even though the Ministry has been subsidising the cost of dealing with unsafe crossings, it is not always easy for railway companies to do so.

Yamanone Crossing on JR Yokosuka Line is one of them, which is about 500 metres east of Zushi station. There are several Category 4 crossings in Tokyo and surrounding areas, but most of them are not frequently used, such as on freight lines with few trains a day or even a month. However, Yokosuka Line is a major line so that there are three trains per hour on each direction, and more in peak hours.

There are many signs warning people to be very careful, and avoid using it as much as possible, to prevent accidents. The Crossing is only for pedestrians, and no vehicle is allowed. The traffic sign on the left shows that even bicycle is no exception, but many local residents might not realise the rule.

Unlike other Category 4 level crossings, the Yamanone Crossing is large as there are nine tracks. From north to south, there are J-TREC siding (towards railway factory, unelectrified), down and up mainlines and six Zushi Siding tracks. The first one is generally used only once or twice a month, while trains on two mainlines run frequently as mentioned above.

The last six tracks are more complicated, as there is no timetable available to the public. Shunting trains pass the Crossing quite often particularly during peak hours. And ironically, they are when many people cross the tracks.

It is 36 metres long and only two metres wide. Since it is really long, there are another fence and signs in the middle of the Crossing. I suspect that trains do not stop if a pedestrian stays in that area when he/she could not make it, but I was not brave enough to try it.

The permanent closure of the Crossing has been discussed for years. On the one hand, JR East and Zushi City have been eager to close it because of safety concerns. According to members of Zushi Assembly, about 400 people use it every day, and sadly there were a few accidents. Victims are generally the elderly, but a schoolchild died in the past, resulted in changes of primary school districts, to allow children going to school without using the Crossing.

On the other hand, local residents were reluctant to agree with the permanent closure, as it would take more to access to the city centre or railway stations, particularly Zushi Hayama station of Keikyu. JR East suggested that using a Category 1 Crossing near JR Zushi station will merely take two extra minutes, but some local residents insisted that the elderly cannot walk as fast as young people so that it would take more than five extra minutes, and it would be inconvenient.

The main purpose of the closure is obviously to prevent accidents, and the elderly who cannot walk quickly are always prone to such accidents in the Crossing. Therefore, JR East and the local government finally dismissed such claims, and decided to close it.

The longest busy Category 4 level crossing in Greater Tokyo Area is about to end. It will surely dissatisfy some local residents, but nothing is more important than safety. The closure of the Yamanone Crossing will hopefully give impetus to abolish other Category 4 crossings in the country, especially those in residential areas.

*All photos were taken on 27 July 2021

When Enthusiasts Become Excessively Enthusiastic

*Tweets are embedded in this article.

1. Introduction

2. Typical Cases

3. Possible Main Backgrounds

4. Companies' Responses

5. What Can We Do?

6. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Railway enthusiasts in Japan, especially trainspotters have been accused for years of often being overexcited and causing troubles. Some of them have been aggressive especially since mid-2010s, and they are repeatedly criticised by media. Many popular trains, such as those introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) have been targets (or victims) of such people. It must be borne in mind that they are in a minority and 95% of the enthusiasts are well-behaved. Even so, many railway companies in Japan are, understandably, no longer tolerant to them, as the companies have been struggling to deal with whom could be called "hooligan-like train geeks".

This article describes examples, backgrounds and consequences of those delinquencies, and argues that each innocent enthusiast can still enjoy his/her hobby if avoids risks. There are several notorious people who frequently cause serious troubles, but this article does not aim to accuse specific individuals. Readers are reminded that this article is merely on a personal blog, meaning that some contents may be subjective and thus not as trustworthy as academic essays.

2. Typical Cases

The most common troubles reported are as follows:

Overcrowding and Booing

2021.01.30 勝田工臨スナップ
バルブする気になれず、密を避けて静観してました😅 pic.twitter.com/TOLnw5Tq4t

— レオ📷ゆる鉄など@ポケGO (@oyakotetu) January 29, 2021

Popular trains often cause overcrowding. They are mostly brand new trains, those in special livery, old ones that are about to retire, or trains marked as "run as required". For example, this pink locomotive is one of few JNR Class EF81 locos that JR East owns, which is painted into its original livery, mainly used for ad hoc engineering work and expected to be withdrawn within three years. Hundreds of geeks have gathered at one station to take photos of it in spite of social distancing instructions.

It is easy to imagine that overcrowding is the main reason of troubles. Some jump the queue, go out of yellow lines and inadvertently obstruct others, then a quarrel begins. In other cases, enthusiasts effectively occupy the whole train or coach, making it impossible for other passengers to board or alight the train.

Too many cars in rural areas also cause troubles with local residents, as trainspotters often block streets and roads.

Intrusion

Regrettably, taking photos at off-limit areas is not uncommon. Unsurprisingly, such a crime leads to service disruption as train drivers stop their trains, just like when Odoriko limited express was about to retire in Tokyo. Some trainspotters intrude into not only railway tracks but also private properties, to take photos as well as to remove some obstacles such as weeds and trees. For example, Kanagawa Prefectural Police has commenced legal proceedings in January 2021 against teenagers, who entered railway land without permission, to take photos of trains being moved to a museum. In June 2020, several trainspotters in Niigata Prefecture allegedly filled up a paddy field without permission of the owner, to take "magnificent" photos.

Not only young but also elderly people commit crimes. They mostly justify themselves that it was not a problem in the past. It is true that most people in the 1960s and 70s, including non-enthusiasts, paid less attention to laws and rules than we do today. However, things have changed in the last decades; there are far more houses and buildings than before, "unwritten norms" have been lost as the time went by, and thus laws and rules have become more important than the past. Even so, those elderly people are so stubborn and regard themselves superior to others that they ignore or even do not understand that circumstances have already changed dramatically.

Furthermore, not a few people secure spaces for trainspotting in advance, by putting personal belongings hours or even days before the train comes. Presumably, they can do such a thing because the crime rate in Japan is still very low, but those bags, tripods, stepladders and placards cause troubles. They often put their belongings in a private land as well.

Removal of Railway Signs

Astonishingly, a few cases have been reported in rural areas, where trains do not come as frequent as in cities. In 2017, railway signs on Yamaguchi line were reportedly removed by trainspotters who were waiting for a famous steam train. In 2015, a university student was arrested on suspicion of Damage to Property, after he removed ropes and stakes in Fukushima Prefecture which are essential for engineering workers' safety.

Needless to say, removing railway signs or facilities is literally a crime. Railway companies do not hesitate to ask police to investigate incidents, and the authorities apply relevant laws when necessary, such as the Railway Operation Act 1900 and the Penal Code (e.g. Art. 261 for Damage to Property, Art. 124 for Obstruction of Traffic and Art. 125 for Traffic Hazards).

Disturbing Other Enthusiasts

2/7
踊り子13号
185 A5編成

ナチス・ドイツとアメリカ同時多発テロの旗出しがありました pic.twitter.com/2k0ZZxBy0M

— ペンギン(っ'-')╮ =͟͟͞͞🐧ﾌﾞｫﾝ (@E231_1000love) February 7, 2021

It is profoundly regrettable that it has been common since the 2010s that delinquents disturb other trainspotters, mostly by holding hand-made placards. In February 2021, many delinquents boarded front coaches of Odoriko limited express trains and showed many placards, some of which were the Swastika and a photo of the Twin Towers of World Trade Center being destroyed by terrorists. Unlike Germany, displaying Nazi symbols is not a crime in Japan, though absolutely unacceptable.

Such delinquency has been observed especially since 2011, when JNR 201 series on Keiyo line was about to retire. Some of them were allegedly students at a railway school in Tokyo. Surprisingly, even some railway staffs engage in such activities outside where they work.

3. Possible Main Backgrounds

There should be various reasons why such outlaws have been active for years. Following three backgrounds are certainly contributing to "hooliganism".

Population "Growth"

Trainspotting has become popular in the last 10 years, as cameras have been affordable for more people than before. Film cameras had been expensive and uneasy to deal with, given the fact that it costed considerably to get films developed. Digital cameras had been unreliable until mid-2000s. Now, good digital SLR cameras are quite reasonable so that they are widely used.

It made more people, especially teenagers, to be able to engage in trainspotting. Today, it is not uncommon to see children around ten years old having good cameras which are worth 1,000-2,000 USD, or even higher. Population "growth" leads to overcrowding, resulting in troubles that were mentioned in the previous section.

Widespread Use of SNS

Since the 2010s, Social Networking Services like Twitter and LINE have been used by enthusiasts, to share their information. Not only reports of trains uploaded by witnesses but also timetables of special empty coaching stock movements, which are not supposed to be shared by others, go viral. 

Railway companies are partly responsible for it, as most companies have not restricted their employee or even part-time workers to access to "confidential" information. Sharing such information has been common for decades, but it could be a contemporary issue as people can easily and swiftly share it more than ever.

Modernisation of Rolling Stock

Generally speaking, railway enthusiasts are interested in trains being withdrawn. Furthermore, they tend to chase trains whose features (designs, sounds etc.) are not used on newer trains. For example, trains introduced by JNR have many features that JR trains in the 2010s do not have, such as destination blinds, traditional liveries and unique front end design. Train replacement in these days often means that trains of "good old days" are being lost. It is not hard to imagine a considerable number of people gathering in front of such trains.

4. Companies' Responses

Railway companies always have to provide services safely and without disruption as much as possible, so they have been taking measures to prevent trains from being ruined by enthusiasts. Typically:

Restriction on Trainspotting

It is not surprising that railway companies and even local authorities have been restricting trainspotting on platforms. In urban areas such as Tokyo and Osaka, railway companies install warning signs that no dangerous trainspotting is allowed. Many companies have banned use of stepladders and tripods on platform, which are obviously danger and obstruct other passengers. JR East has taken a radical measure: building a large fence on the platform.

Restrictions are not limited to platforms. In January 2021, Tsuwano Town in Shimane Prefecture deployed a guard to a level crossing on Yamaguchi line, to deal with reckless trainspotters.

Event Cancellation

Until early-2010s, companies held various events such as rail tours, decorating trains in commemoration of anniversary or retirement. However, as such events repeatedly resulted in a mess, companies do not hold them in these days. In 2020, when TRTA 03 series of Hibiya line retired, Tokyo Metro decided not to do anything in commemoration of withdrawal as it deeply concerned about violent geeks.

JNR and six JR companies have not set any steam rail tour in major cities since 1976, after an eleven-year-old boy in Osaka attempted to take a photo of a steam locomotive inside railway land. He was hit by the train and died.

5. What Can We Do?

Enthusiasts have been endlessly debating about the issue, but it is impossible to eliminate such hooligan-like geeks. Since they do not even recognise that their activities are disturbing, nobody can change their minds through any means of dialogue.

Therefore, the only possible way to deal with the problem is self-defence, such as:

Preparation in Advance

Rare trains were not actually rare in the very beginning. It is therefore important to enjoy taking photos of or getting on every one of trains as much as possible. Even common types such as JR East E233 series or Electrostar trains in Britain will surely be old, decrease and thus become "precious" within 10-20 years. Therefore, it is important to take action in advance.

It is also worth noting that old trains do not disappear at once. Each railway company announces its long-term plan regarding its rolling stock. Introduction of new trains might simply mean withdrawal of old trains. Hence, it is essential to keep your knowledge up to date, particularly with regard to older trains (see also this article about endangered trains in Tokyo).

If you prepare in advance, you will not have to be in a hurry when the train is about to retire, and thus you will not see anything obnoxious.

Trainspotting on Street

In general, platforms are much busier than outside station when it comes to trainspotting, because getting out of a ticket barrier costs more than staying on a platform. Unlike Oyster, there is no strict time limit on Suica or PASMO cards in Tokyo area, which allows enthusiasts to enjoy trainspotting at stations for hours. However, when something popular is coming, one should consider trainspotting on street rather than platform, to avoid overcrowding.

Even level crossings and streets by track could be busy, but they should be far better than on platforms.

6. Conclusion

Most railway enthusiasts are good citizens, and trainspotting can be done without any trouble in most cases, but hooligan-like geeks do exist. Violent railway enthusiasts have been a serious issue for years, especially since the 2010s. Some of them are not delinquency but a crime. To enjoy watching, taking photos of or getting on trains, it is vital to follow the latest updates and take action in advance. It is also important to find places to see trains where less people gather than station platforms.