Japan Transportation - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 22 (2020)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 673

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 126,387,527 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 9,420,660,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

JA

Airports

175 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

142

note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

33

note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports

16 (2021)

Pipelines

4,456 km gas, 174 km oil, 104 km oil/gas/water (2013)

Railways

total: 27,311 km (2015)

standard gauge: 4,800 km (2015) 1.435-m gauge (4,800 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 124 km (2015) 1.372-m gauge (124 km electrified)

dual gauge: 132 km (2015) 1.435-1.067-m gauge (132 km electrified)

22,207 km 1.067-mm gauge (15,430 km electrified)
48 km 0.762-m gauge (48 km electrified)

Roadways

total: 1,218,772 km (2015)

paved: 992,835 km (2015) (includes 8,428 km of expressways)

unpaved: 225,937 km (2015)

Waterways

1,770 km (2010) (seagoing vessels use inland seas)

Merchant marine

total: 5,590

by type: bulk carrier 149, container ship 47, general cargo 2,071, oil tanker 690, other 2,633 (2022)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Tomakomai, Yokohama

container port(s) (TEUs): Kobe (2,823,774), Nagoya (2,725,597), Osaka (2,425,638), Tokyo (4,325,956), Yokohama (2,861,197) (2021)

LNG terminal(s) (import): Chita, Chita Midorihama, Fukuoka, Futtsu, Hachinone, Hakodate, Hatsukaichi, Higashi Ohgishima, Higashi Niigata, Himeiji, Hitachi, Ishikari, Joetsu, Kagoshima, Kawagoe, Hibiki, Mitzushima, Nagasaki, Naoetsu, Negishi, Ohgishima, Oita, Sakai, Sakaide, Senboku, Shin Minato, Shin-Sendai, Sodeshi Shimizu, Sodegaura, Soma, Tobata, Toyama Shinko, Yanai, Yokkaichi, Yoshinoura

Okinawa - Nakagusuku

Transportation - note

Japan operates one PC 3 or 4 class medium icebreaker
note - PC indicates a Polar Class vessel: PC 3 - year-round operation in second-year ice which may include multi-year ice inclusions (ice thickness up to 2.5 m); PC 4 - year-round operation in thick first-year ice which may include old ice inclusions (ice thickness up to 120 cm)

NOTE: The information regarding Japan on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Japan 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Japan 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.