Transport geography in Japan

摘要

Most recent studies on transport geography in Japan have concerned automobile transport and regional public transport. With regard to automobile transport, until the mid-1990s, many transport geography studies considered the diffusion of motorization and its effect on regional structure, and until the mid-2000s, they focused on the spatial economic effects of transport infrastructure, including highways (Tanaka, 2008). Micro-scale studies of regional public transport have increased since the early 2000s. In general, the interest of Japanese transport geography has shifted from the positive effects of transport to the issues confronting regional public transport. The factors driving this shift include drastic socio-economic changes since the 1990s, such as a protracted recession, easing of regulations and an ageing society (Tanaka and Imai, 2013).