Choice of Transportation Means for Commuting and Motorization in the Cities of Japan in 1980

Abstract

Motorization in Japan has been developing since the 1960’s and presently shows no signs of decline. Increasingly significant portions of the population are now concentrated in the large urban areas centering around Tokyo, whilethe surrounding residential areas have expanded concentrically outward. Meanwhile agricultural areas, mountain and fishing villages, and areas with declining industries present conspicuous signs of population decline. With regard to the ratios of transportation means for commuting, and the spreading of privately-owned cars per household of the administrative divisions: wards, cities, and prefectures of Japan, based on the 1980 national census, have identified regional patterns and trends. The areas with higher ratios of commuters by public transportation than by privately-ownedcars are limited to only the two metropolitan areas of Tokyo and Osaka and the central cities of the wider region constituted of several prefectures: Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Kita-Kyushu and Fukuoka and its surrounding cities. Theresidential suburbs of Tokyo and Osaka display a high-commuting ratio by public transportation and a low-spreading ratio of automobiles per household. The automobile was found to be the most frequent transportation means for commuting in Japanese cities except in the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas. The central part of Japan, covering Chubu and northern Kan to areas, represents an especially high commuting by car ratio and a high spreading ratio of privately-owned cars. © 1992, The Association of Japanese Geographers. All rights reserved.