25th Japan Railway Award Winners Announced
Overview
The winners of the 25th Japan Railway Award were decided on September 18, 2026. The Japan Railway Grand Prize was awarded to Kyushu Railway Company for “Tsubame’s Great Adventure: The 15th Anniversary Project of the Complete Opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen.” Special awards were given to East Japan Railway Company, IR Ishikawa Railway Company, and initiatives by East Japan Railway Company and JR East Logistics Co., Ltd. The selection was conducted through online interviews with applicants, evaluations by each committee member, and subsequent discussions and deliberations.
Key points
- The winners of the 25th Japan Railway Award were decided on September 18, 2026.
- The Japan Railway Grand Prize went to Kyushu Railway Company for “Tsubame’s Great Adventure: The 15th Anniversary Project of the Complete Opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen.”
- The Special Awards went to initiatives by East Japan Railway Company, IR Ishikawa Railway Company, and East Japan Railway Company and JR East Logistics Co., Ltd.
- The winners were decided through online interviews covering all applications, followed by evaluations, discussions, and deliberations by the committee members.
Overview
On September 18, 2026, the winners of the 25th Japan Railway Award were decided. Kyushu Railway Company received the Japan Railway Grand Prize for its 15th anniversary project marking the complete opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen.
The Japan Railway Award is a program recognizing outstanding initiatives related to railways.
Impact
Based on the purpose behind establishing Railway Day, the Japan Railway Award aims to deepen the public’s understanding of and interest in railways, obtain strong public support, and promote the further development of railways.
Details
[Japan Railway Grand Prize] Kyushu Railway Company: “Tsubame’s Great Adventure: The 15th Anniversary Project of the Complete Opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen.” [Special Awards by the Japan Railway Award Selection Committee] East Japan Railway Company: “Establishing a rapid inspection method in the digital space using commercial trains”; IR Ishikawa Railway Company: “An initiative aimed at becoming a railway company that people say is ‘pretty good!’, including the Childcare Support Smile Ticket”; East Japan Railway Company and JR East Logistics Co., Ltd.: “About the Hakobiyun bulk freight transportation service using dedicated Shinkansen trains for cargo.”
For all applications, the Japan Railway Award Selection Committee conducted online interviews with the applicants, and the committee members evaluated, discussed, and deliberated before deciding the winners. The reasons for selection are provided in a separate document.
The chair is Hironori Kato, a professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. The committee members are Saya Ogura, Masaya Suda, Hirokazu Nagane, Sota Fujii, Daisuke Fujita, Yohei Michitsuji, Masahiko Yamaguchi, and Masako Okano.