2009 Annual Report
WEST JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY RAILWAY JAPAN WEST Annual Report 2009 Ensuring Safety, Delivering Growth Annual Report 2009 WEST JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY WEST JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY Printed in Japan West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) is one of the six passenger railway transport companies formed by the split-up and privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1987. Its mainstay railway business operates a network of lines with a total route length of approximately 5,000 kilometers, extending through 18 prefectures that account for around one-fifth of Japan’s land area. Railway systems in Japan evolved as a natural consequence of the cities that formed through the accumulation of people in the limited number of plains throughout the country. Joined like links in a chain, the geographical distribution of these cities has created a solid demand base that accounts for one-fourth of all passenger volume in Japan. While railway operations remain the core of its business, JR-West also aims to make the most of the assets that are part of its network of stations and railways to develop its retail, real estate, and hotel businesses. Corporate Philosophy 1 We, being conscious of our responsibility for protecting 4 We, together with our Group companies, will consistently the truly precious lives of our customers, and incessantly improve our service quality by enhancing technology and acting on the basis of safety first, will build a railway that expertise through daily efforts and practices. assures our customers of its safety and reliability. 5 We, deepening mutual understanding and respecting each 2 We, with a central focus on railway business, will fulfill the individual, will strive to create a company at which employ- expectations of our customers, shareholders, employees, ees find job satisfaction and in which they take pride.
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