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Will it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years? (3)

Will it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years? (3)

 

Table of Contents

1: Accessibility at regional railway stations

2: Reasons for delays in making local railway stations accessibility

 

1: Accessibility at regional railway stations

Accessibility of large passenger facilities in Japan (railway stations, bus terminals, ferry terminals, and airports) is steadily progressing: in passenger facilities with an average of more than 3,000 passengers per day, the rate of steps eliminated at the end of FY2020 is 95.1%, the rate of guidance blocks for the visually impaired is 97.2%, and the rate of accessible toilets is 92.1%, approaching 100%.

 

Accessibility in passenger facilities with more than 3,000 passengers per day (%)

Accessibility-in-passenger-facilities

SOURCE: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

 

However, only 50% (4,734 out of 9,379) of all railway stations in Japan have ‘steps eliminated’ at the end of FY2021. Regarding the percentage of ‘stations with steps eliminated’ by prefecture, 22 prefectures (47% of the total) have less than 30%. The low rate is particularly noticeable in rural areas, such as Yamaguchi, Kagoshima, and Aomori prefectures, where the percentage is 17%, 19%, and 20%, respectively.

 

The proportion of stations with steps eliminated (%)

1Okinawa Prefecture100.0%
2Tokyo Metropolitan94.1%
3Kanagawa Prefecture88.2%
4Osaka Prefecture83.4%
5Saitama Prefecture79.4%
6Aichi Prefecture74.6%
7Chiba Prefecture68.0%
8Hyogo Prefecture66.3%
9Kyoto Prefecture62.9%
10Shiga Prefecture56.8%
11Miyagi Prefecture56.1%
12Nara Prefecture50.8%
13Fukuoka Prefecture49.7%
14Hiroshima Prefecture46.4%
15Ibaraki Prefecture45.5%
16Gunma Prefecture42.6%
17Toyama Prefecture42.1%
18Iwate Prefecture40.9%
19Okayama Prefecture40.6%
20Fukui Prefecture39.8%
21Shizuoka Prefecture39.1%
22Kagawa Prefecture36.9%
23Kumamoto Prefecture35.4%
24Nagasaki Prefecture35.0%
25Yamanashi Prefecture34.2%
26Tochigi Prefecture34.2%
27Gifu Prefecture33.0%
28Saga Prefecture32.9%
29Fukushima Prefecture32.4%
30Yamagata Prefecture31.1%
31Tottori Prefecture31.1%
32Ehime Prefecture27.4%
33Mie Prefecture27.2%
34Niigata Prefecture26.4%
35Oita Prefecture25.3%
36Hokkaido25.2%
37Tokushima Prefecture25.0%
38Nagano Prefecture24.8%
39Wakayama Prefecture24.4%
40Miyazaki Prefecture22.4%
41Shimane Prefecture22.3%
42Ishikawa Prefecture22.2%
43Akita Prefecture21.4%
44Kochi Prefecture21.2%
45Aomori Prefecture20.1%
46Kagoshima Prefecture18.5%
47Yamaguchi Prefecture17.1%

SOURCE: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

 

The low proportion of ‘stations with steps eliminated’ for the elderly with limited mobility, disabled people using wheelchairs, etc. and families with children using pushchairs, etc., makes it difficult for them to travel by rail to rural areas. 17.4% of families traveling with infants and toddlers used ‘the train’ as their primary means of transport to their destination, significantly lower than 27.3% of all users (2019). The proportion of families traveling with infants and toddlers who used ‘train’ as their primary transport at the destination was also 18.6%, significantly lower than the 29.7% of users.

階段

Accessibility is still one of the most common problems. According to the 2018 Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism survey of wheelchair users on improving the environment for wheelchair use on railways (multiple answers), the main ‘difficulties when using railways’ are still ‘stations were not accessible’ at 35% and ‘accessible route was a detour’ at 29%. Furthermore, 78% of the 184 respondents to this survey were from the three major urban regions, including Kanto, Kinki, and Chubu regions. Considering the large number of respondents from the three metropolitan areas, which have a high proportion of stations with steps eliminated, the response rate for the above items among the ‘problems’ when using the railways in Japan may be even higher.

車椅子

2: Reasons for delays in making local railway stations accessibility

The reason for the lack of elimination of steps at local railway stations is the aging of the population and the consequent decline in population. The correlation between the percentage of elderly people aged 65 and over by prefecture and ‘stations with steps eliminated’ is exceptionally high. The correlation between the rate of increase or decrease in population by prefecture and ‘stations with steps eliminated’ is also extremely high. In rural areas of Japan, we can say that older people with lames no longer use the railways due to the steps at stations. A population decline has also led to a profit deterioration, making it impossible to invest in eliminating steps.

 

The proportion of steps eliminated at stations and population change by prefecture (2020/2000)

The proportion of steps eliminated at stations and population change by prefecture (2020/2000)

SOURCE: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research

 

Moreover, troublingly, the lower the rate of elimination of steps at stations, the more serious the future rate of population decline in the prefecture. For example, the Yamaguchi (17% of steps eliminated), Kagoshima (19%), and Aomori (20%) prefectures have projected population decline rates of 26%, 27%, and 37% respectively, from 2015 to 2045, well above 20%. Thus, the composition of the aging population and the associated population decline will remain the same and worsen.

The proportion of steps eliminated at stations and population change forecast by prefecture (2045/2015)

The proportion of steps eliminated at stations and population change forecast by prefecture

SOURCE: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research

 

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