Consisting of nationwide subway operators, railway operators with mutual access to subways, and manufacturers related to subway systems, the Japanese Subway Association shares technical and informational resources among members and works to help enhance transportation functions in cities as public transportation providers.
Since its inception in Tokyo in December 1927, the Japanese subway system has supported urban development for 97 years, expanding through new lines and extensions of existing lines, now reaching from Hokkaido to Kyushu with 48 lines in 12 cities nationwide, a total length of 851.5 km, and 15.9 million passengers per day.
Subways help alleviate urban road traffic congestion by providing high-speed underground travel and on-time service while ensuring high levels of safety and stability through advanced operating systems.
Furthermore, compared to other modes of transportation, subways are environmentally friendly with low carbon dioxide emissions and are designed to be universally accessible to everyone, including the elderly and foreigners.
While subway ridership has been recovering gradually since the significant decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many challenges remain, including aging infrastructure, measures against earthquakes and increasingly severe natural disasters, and increasing accessibility to support an aging society.
The Association will continue to request government support and work with members to implement safety measures, flood prevention, and improvements in accessibility in ways both tangible and intangible, as well as promote a carbon-neutral society, introduce advanced railway technologies, and develop solutions for linear metro challenges.
We will also strive to provide proper information on efforts to improve new services we have begun, including digitalization (DX) initiatives such as QR codes or credit card tap payments.
We will continue to promote the appeal of subways and strive as a unified organization to ensure their safe, secure, comfortable, and convenient use, and we kindly ask for your continued support and guidance.

I hope this homepage has allowed you to improve your understanding of subways, if only by a small margin.