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Tokyo Metro is the second largest system in Tokyo by passenger count, and it's jointly owned by the national government and the Tokyo government. Toei is the 4

Tokyo Metro is the second largest system in Tokyo by passenger count, and it's jointly owned by the national government and the Tokyo government. Toei is the 4th largest in Tokyo, and it's fully owned by the Tokyo government, and there are others outside of Tokyo that are also publicly owned. So I'd say that while private train companies has partially worked, they certainly haven't been able to rely on private companies completely.

asiachick 5y ago
You can frame this many ways. #1 it's second, not first. #2 there are at least 10 different train/subway companies in Tokyo so it's 1 of 10 (JR, Eiden, Toei, Tokyu, Keisei, Keikyu, Keio, Odakyu, Tobu, Seibu) #3 the government gets to pick the best spots via eminent domain #4 lots of conflict of interest when government, via #3, decides who gets what #5 It's not just Tokyo. Other big Japanese cities also have multiple train companies. Kyoto has at least 4 (JR West, Hankyu, Keihan, Keifuku), I'm sure Osaka has several too (haven't spent as much time there so not as familar) #6 The fact that the gov trains exist does not in any way suggest that they couldn't rely on private companies completely, especially given the 9 other companies doing just fine