East Japan Railway Company

History

JR East was incorporated on 1 April 1987 after being spun off from the government-run Japanese National Railways (JNR). The spin-off was nominally "privatization", as the company was actually a wholly owned subsidiary of the government-owned JNR Settlement Corporation for several years, and was not completely sold to the public until 2002.

Following the breakup, JR East ran the operations on former JNR lines in the Greater Tokyo Area, the Tōhoku region, and surrounding areas.

Lines

Railway lines of JR East primarily serve the Kanto and Tohoku regions, along with adjacent areas in Kōshin'etsu region (Niigata, Nagano, Yamanashi) and Shizuoka prefectures.

Shinkansen

Kanto region

These lines have sections inside the Tokyo suburban area () designated by JR East. This does not necessarily mean that the lines are fully inside the Greater Tokyo Area.

Koshinetsu region

Tohoku region

Services

Below is the full list of limited express and express train services operated on JR East lines as of 2025.

Shinkansen

• Asama
• Hakutaka
• Hayabusa
• Hayate
• Kagayaki
• Komachi
• Nasuno
• Tanigawa
• Toki
• Tsubasa
• Yamabiko

Limited express (daytime)

• Akagi
• Azusa
• Fuji Excursion
• Hitachi and Tokiwa
• Inaho
• Kaiji/View Kaiji
• Kusatsu·Shima
• Narita Express
• Nikkō and Kinugawa
• Saphir Odoriko/Odoriko
• Sazanami
• Shirayuki
• Shiosai
• Shōnan
• Tsugaru
• Wakashio

Limited express (overnight)

• Sunrise Izumo/Sunrise Seto (not operated by JR East, operated by JR Central and JR-West over the Tokaido Main Line, part of which JR East owns between Tokyo and Atami)
• Train Suite Shiki-shima
• Cassiopeia (Retired)
• Hokutosei (Retired)

Cargo transport

JR East operates "Hakobyun", a priority cargo transport service on its Shinkansen lines. The service is intended for high-value, delicate, and time-sensitive goods such as precision equipment and premium fresh seafood, offering faster delivery times and smoother handling than conventional freight trains. Any Shinkansen train can carry up to 40 boxes of commercial cargo using storage areas located between cars. On selected services, one or more cars may be closed to passengers and used for cargo transport, with boxes loaded onto specially designed carts that fit between seats. JR East also operates a converted E3 series trainset with all seating removed for dedicated cargo use. Hakobyun services operate on the Akita, Hokuriku, Hokkaidō, Jōetsu, Tōhoku, and Yamagata Shinkansen lines. Small consignments can be loaded and unloaded at any station along the route, while larger volumes must be handled at designated cargo terminals.

Stations

Main article: List of East Japan Railway Company stations

During Japanese fiscal year 2024, the busiest stations in the JR East network by average daily passenger count were:

1. (666,809)
2. (499,128)
3. (434,564)
4. (373,010)
5. (324,414)
6. (287,939)
7. (254,220)
8. (231,628)
9. (221,421)
10. (198,732)

Subsidiaries

• Higashi-Nihon Kiosk - provides newspapers, drinks and other items in station kiosks and operates the Newdays convenience store chain
• JR Bus Kanto / JR Bus Tohoku - intercity bus operators
• Nippon Restaurant Enterprise - provides bentō box lunches on trains and in train stations
• Tokyo Monorail - (70% ownership stake)
• East Japan Marketing & Communications

Sponsorship

JR East co-sponsors the JEF United Chiba J-League football club , which was formed by a merger between the JR East and Furukawa Electric company teams.

Carbon emission plan

JR East aims to reduce its carbon emissions by half, as measured over the period 1990–2030. This would be achieved by increasing the efficiency of trains and company-owned thermal power stations and by developing hybrid trains.

Alleged revolutionary front

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has stated that JR East's official union is a front for a revolutionary political organization called the Japan Revolutionary Communist League (Revolutionary Marxist Faction). An investigation of this is ongoing.

Culture foundation

The East Japan Railway Culture Foundation is a non-profit organization established by JR East for the purpose of developing a "richer railway culture". The Railway Museum in Saitama is operated by the foundation.

Bids outside Japan

JR East held a 15% shareholding in West Midlands Trains with Abellio and Mitsui that commenced operating the West Midlands franchise in England in December 2017. JR East sold their stake to Abellio in September 2021. The same consortium were also listed to be bidding for the South Eastern franchise.

Notes

References

References

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2. East Japan Railway Company. "Financial Report 2023".
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12. (16 March 2025). "Hokkaido Shinkansen".
13. "About the Shinkansen".
14. Lambe, Michael. "The Sunrise Seto & Sunrise Izumo – Overnight Sleeper Trains from Osaka to Tokyo".
15. "Bullet trains haul freight as fruit, seafood ticketed for fast delivery {{!}} The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis". The Asahi Shimbun.
16. (2025-03-05). "JR East to develop E10 series shinkansen train".
17. (2025-03-04). "JR東、荷物輸送用の新幹線投入を発表 「つばさ」用車両が改造で転身".
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20. [http://business.highbeam.com/435559/article-1G1-95100706/jal-ana-buy-9-stake-each-tokyo-monorail-hitachi HighBeam]{{dead link. (February 2019)
21. "JR East Efforts to Prevent Global Warming". Japan Railway & Transport Review.
22. "第174回国会 430 革マル派によるＪＲ総連及びＪＲ東労組への浸透に関する質問主意書". Government of Japan.
23. "For a Richer Railway Culture". East Japan Railway Culture Foundation.
24. (10 August 2017). "More seats for rail passengers as nearly £1 billion is invested in Midlands services". Department for Transport.
25. (10 August 2017). "West Midlands Trains announced as winning bidder for West Midlands franchise". Abellio.
26. (4 August 2021). "West Midlands Holdings Limited Financial Accounts 2020/21".
27. (22 June 2017). "West Coast Partnership and South Eastern rail franchise bidders". Department for Transport.
28. (22 June 2017). "South Eastern franchise bidders announced".