Private company

Hokkaido Railway Company

The Hokkaido Railway Company (Japanese: 北海道旅客鉄道株式会社, Hepburn: Hokkaidō Ryokaku Tetsudō kabushiki gaisha) is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often.1

Last updated Oct 18, 2026.

Overview

Apr 1, 1987Founded1
  • Industryrailway1
  • HeadquartersChūō-ku1
  • Founded inTokyo1
  • Websitewww.jrhokkaido.co.jp
  • Legal formSpecially designated public corporation, kabushiki gaisha1

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The Hokkaido Railway Company (Japanese: 北海道旅客鉄道株式会社, Hepburn: Hokkaidō Ryokaku Tetsudō kabushiki gaisha) is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to by its official abbreviation: JR Hokkaido (JR北海道, Jeiāru Hokkaidō). It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart card ticketing system, in Autumn 2008.2

The story

History

1 April 1987: Upon the privatization of the Japanese National Railways (JNR), the Hokkaido Railway Company was formed

25 October 2008: Kitaca contactless smart card introduced in Sapporo area

26 March 2016: First Hokkaido Shinkansen service between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto launched.

Former JNR lines closed before JR Hokkaido formation

These lines have been closed by JNR in Hokkaido before 1 April 1987.

Aioi Line

Bihoro - Kitami-Aioi 36.8 km (22.9 mi) closed on 1 April 1985

Bikō Line

Bifuka - Niupu 21.2 km (13.2 mi) closed on 17 September 1985

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Haboro Line

Rumoi - Horonobe 141.1 km (87.7 mi) closed on 30 March 1987

Hiroo Line

Obihiro - Hiroo 84.0 km (52.2 mi) closed on 2 February 1987

Iburi Line

Kutchan - Datemombetsu 83.0 km (51.6 mi) and Kyōgoku - Wakikata 7.5 km (4.7 mi) closed on 11 November 1986

Iwanai Line

Kozawa - Iwanai 14.9 km (9.3 mi) closed on 1 September 1985

Kōhin'hoku Line

Hama-Tombetsu - Kitami-Esashi 30.4 km (18.9 mi) closed on 1 July 1985

Kōhin'nan Line

Ōmu - Okoppe 19.9 km (12.4 mi) closed on 15 July 1985

Konpoku Line

Shiretoko-Shari - Koshikawa 12.8 km (8.0 mi) closed on 1 December 1970

Manji Line

Shibun - Manji-Tanzan 23.8 km (14.8 mi) closed on 1 April 1985

Setana Line

Kunnui - Setana 48.4 km (30.1 mi) closed on 16 March 1987

Shihoro Line

Obihiro - Tokachi-Mitsumata 78.3 km (48.7 mi) closed on 23 March 1987

Shiranuka Line

Shiranuka - Hokushin 33.1 km (20.6 mi) closed on 23 October 1983

Shokotsu Line

Shokotsu - Kitami-Takinoue 34.3 km (21.3 mi) closed on 1 April 1985

Temiya Line

Minami-Otaru - Temiya 2.8 km (1.7 mi) closed on 5 November 1985

Tomiuchi Line

Mukawa - Hidakachō 82.5 km (51.3 mi) closed on 1 November 1986

Yūmō Line

Naka-Yūbetsu - Abashiri 121.8 km (75.7 mi) closed on 20 March 1987

Sasshō Line

Shin-Totsukawa - Ishikari-Numata 34.9 km (21.7 mi) closed on 19 June 1972

Limited Express Services

Hokuto

Sapporo - Hakodate

Tokachi

Sapporo - Obihiro

Ozora

Sapporo - Kushiro

Okhotsk

Sapporo - Abashiri

Soya

Sapporo - Wakkanai

Suzuran

Sapporo - Muroran

Kamui & Lilac

Sapporo - Asahikawa

Sarobetsu

Asahikawa - Wakkanai

From Wikipedia’s article on Hokkaido Railway Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Leadership

Who has led Hokkaido Railway Company, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Chief executive

  1. Yoshihiro Ômori1987–1996
  2. Shin'ichi Sakamoto1996–2003
  3. Akio Koike2003–2007
  4. Naotoshi Nakajima2007–2011
  5. Akio Koike2011–2013
  6. Makoto Nojima2013–2014
  7. Osamu Shimada2014–2022
  8. Yasuyuki Watanuki2022–now

Chair

  1. Takei Tōjiyō1987–1991
  2. Shigeru Suzuki1991–1996
  3. Yoshihiro Ômori1996–2002
  4. Shin'ichi Sakamoto2003–2007
  5. Akio Koike2007–2011
  6. Hirohiko Kakinuma2011–2013
  7. Akio Koike2013–2014
  8. Yukio Suda2014–2018
  9. Yasutomo Shirakawa2018–2020
  10. Yoshitaka Taura2020–2022
  11. Osamu Shimada2022–now
19901995200020052010201520202025

Products and brands

  • Kitaca

Listed on Wikidata.1

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Owners

Subsidiaries

Divisions

  • Hokkaido Railway Company Asahikawa branch office
  • Hokkaido Railway Company Hakodate branch office
  • Hokkaido Railway Company Headquarters
  • Hokkaido Railway Company Kushiro branch office

Also owns

  • JR INN Sapporo
  • JR Sapporo Hospital

From Wikidata.1

Acquisitions

  1. Succeeded Japanese National Railways1

Timeline

  1. 2022New chief executive Yasuyuki Watanuki becomes CEO1
  2. 2014New chief executive Osamu Shimada becomes CEO1
  3. 2013New chief executive Makoto Nojima becomes CEO1
  4. 2011New chief executive Akio Koike becomes CEO1
  5. 2007New chief executive Naotoshi Nakajima becomes CEO1
  6. 2003New chief executive Akio Koike becomes CEO1
  7. 1996New chief executive Shin'ichi Sakamoto becomes CEO1
  8. Apr 1, 1987Founded Founded in Tokyo1
  9. 1987New chief executive Yoshihiro Ômori becomes CEO1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3