国鉄(こくてつ)

こくてつ
noun (proper)
Japanese National Railways (JNR, until 1987)
proper-nounorganization-nametransportationhistory
1. Japanese National Railways; JNR
The state-run railway that operated Japan's main rail network until it was broken up and privatized into the JR companies in 1987. Short for 日本国有鉄道(にほんこくゆうてつどう), and still used when speaking of the pre-1987 era.
祖父(そふ)は国鉄(こくてつ)で働(はたら)いていた。
My grandfather worked for Japanese National Railways.
国鉄(こくてつ)は昭和(しょうわ)六十二年(ろくじゅうにねん)に民営化(みんえいか)された。
Japanese National Railways was privatized in 1987.
この路線(ろせん)は国鉄時代(こくてつじだい)に開通(かいつう)し、今(いま)もほぼ同(おな)じ区間(くかん)を走(はし)っている。
This line opened in the JNR era and still runs almost the same route today.

Common expressions

  • 国鉄時代(こくてつじだい): the JNR era — before the 1987 privatization
  • 国鉄(こくてつ)民営化(みんえいか): the privatization of JNR
  • 旧国鉄(きゅうこくてつ): the former JNR — used when the contrast with JR matters

Cultural note

The privatization split the network into the regional JR companies (JR東日本(ひがしにほん), JR西日本(にしにほん), and others), so anything after 1987 is JR, not 国鉄(こくてつ). Older speakers still say 国鉄(こくてつ) out of habit, and the word carries a nostalgic, Shōwa-era flavor.

general
Added 2026.8.15 0:52 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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