Ministry of Railways

The government agency responsible for railways was established on May 15, 1920 (Taisho 9). Railway business developed dramatically during World War I, and the Hara Takashi Seiyukai cabinet made the development of railway networks a priority policy. For these reasons, the Railway Bureau was elevated to a government ministry. The ministry's duties were to operate the national railways and related services, and to supervise local railways, tracks, and the South Manchuria Railway. It had a minister's secretariat and six bureaus at the center, and railway bureaus and other organizations in each region. In 1928 (Showa 3), it gained the authority to supervise land transportation, and the following year, the authority to supervise the South Manchuria Railway was transferred to the Ministry of Colonization. In 1930, it began operating state-run automobiles, and became the government agency responsible for all land transportation until World War II. During this time, the organization was changed several times, but it was abolished on November 1, 1943, when the Ministry of Transport and Communications was established, and its duties were taken over by the Ministry's Railway Bureau and others.

[Harada Katsumasa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1920年（大正9）5月15日設置された鉄道管轄官庁。第一次世界大戦中から鉄道事業は飛躍的に発展し、また原敬(たかし)政友会内閣は鉄道網の整備を重点施策とした。このような事情から鉄道院を昇格して、政府の1省とする措置がとられた。同省の管轄業務は国有鉄道および付帯業務の運営、地方鉄道、軌道、南満州鉄道の監督とされ、中央に大臣官房と6局、各地方に鉄道局その他の機関を置いた。28年（昭和3）陸運監督権を加え、翌年満鉄の監督権を拓務省に移管した。30年には省営自動車の営業を開始、第二次世界大戦期にかけて陸上交通全般についての管轄官庁となった。この間何回か組織は変更されたが、太平洋戦争下の43年11月1日運輸通信省の設置に伴い廃止、業務は同省の鉄道総局その他に引き継がれた。

［原田勝正］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例