Evening star., 1942-05-04
Jap Rail Line Breaks
Add 10 VuInerabiIity
In Bombing Raids
Communication Lines
Weakened by Need
For Transfers

How vulnerable to bombing raids
are the Japanese communication
lines? A bulletin from the Ma
tional Geographic Society points out
that the relatively small area of
Japan and its division into islands
are two important factors in the
air attacks on the transportation
system in the heart of the empire.
Japanese railroads extend. in all.
for more than 1900 miles, saws the
bulletin. In this vital steel chain
there are number of breaks. re-
qulring the transfer of passengers
and freight over water hops not
only between the four chief islands,
but also between these islands and ,
neighboring mainland and island
possessions.
Until recently, ferry service was
the only means Of transport from
island to island. On April IS, 1912,
however, a new underwater tunnel
was reported opened, linking Main,
Honshu, Island with Kyushu, which
looks southwark toward the Philip
pines. The tunnel is described as
212 miles long, with double track.
1t is considered particularly valu-
able to the Japanese war effort,
both for its sheltered underwater
location and as time saver in
shifting men and materials between
the two islands.
Ferry Points Close Together. i.
Three of Japan's five main ferry
points, as well as the outlets of the
new tunnel, are situated within an
airline radius of less than 200 miles.
They provide service from the CEN
trail island of Honshu to Shikoku,
Kyushu and the Asiatic mainland
of Chosen. The other transfer sta
tions are between the northern end
OF Honshu and Southern Hokkaido,
and between the northern coast of
Hokkaido and Karafuto. The latter
japanese possession is the southern
half of the jointly Russian-held is
land of Sakhalin. Japan's widest
ferry Is across the 150-mile entrance
to the Sea of Japan, separating
Southern Japan proper from Chosen.
The chief rail trunk line of Japan,
along which the major political and
industrial centers are found, runs
along the east coast of Honshu Is
land. Toxic, Yokohama, Nagoya
and Kobe (the four cities recently
bombed) are spaced along its CEN
trail reaches, within an airline dis
tance of less than 300 miles. Close
to Kobe also are situated huge in
dustrial Osaka and Kyoto, the an
cient japanese capital.
Mountains Guide Rails.
Because of the mountainous
character of Japan's islands, trunk
lines follow generally the coastal
regions. Between the east and west
coasts of Honshu rails follow a
winding and -tunneled route.
The first railways of Japan were
built along the east-central section
of Honshu. In 1872, an 18-mile line
was Completed connecting Toxic
with Yokohama. Later Kobe, Osaka
and Kyoto we're Joined and the lines
merged into single trunk route
between Toxic and Kobe.
Foreign assistance has played an
important part in the development
of the Japanese railway system.
Commodore Perry introduced the
idea of rail transportation when he
set up a model line in 1852, on the
beach of Yokohama. British CAPT.
tai built the first japanese rail-
ways, and modern United States
equipment still serves in rails and
wheels, or as models for engines
and sleeping cars turned out in jap
anese machine shops.
In 1887 the State Railways Of
Japan employed more than 227, 900
people; private companies hired
over 10000. In 1889 the passen-
gers carried on government railways
alone numbered more than a billion
and quarter; freight totaled near
ly hundred million metric tons.