Transportation
Railways:
total: 23,670.7 km
standard gauge: 2,893.1 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified)
narrow gauge: 89.8 km 1.372-m gauge (89.8 km electrified); 20,656.8
km 1.067-m gauge (10,383.6 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (3.6
km electrified) (1994)
Highways:
total: 1.16 million km
paved: 859,560 km (including 6,070 km of expressways)
unpaved: 300,440 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland
seas
Pipelines: crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural
gas 1,800 km
Ports and harbors: Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate,
Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro,
Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo,
Tomakomai
Merchant marine:
total: 713 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,753,027
GRT/19,311,312 DWT
ships by type: bulk 159, cargo 54, chemical tanker 13, combination
bulk 16, combination ore/oil 4, container 27, liquefied gas tanker
40, oil tanker 232, passenger 10, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated
cargo 27, roll-on/roll-off cargo 48, short-sea passenger 13, vehicle
carrier 68 (1998 est.)
Airports: 170 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 140 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 914 to 1,523 m: 30 under 914 m: 31 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 28 (1998 est.)