Japanese National Railways (日本国有鉄道, Nippon Kokuyū Tetsudō?), abbreviated Kokutetsu (国鉄, Kokutetsu?) or "JNR", was the national railway network of Japan from 1949 to 1987.
The term Kokuyū Tetsudō "state-owned railway" originally referred to a network of railway lines operated by nationalized companies under the control of the Railway Institute following the nationalization in 1906 and 1907. Later, the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications took over control of the network. The ministries used the name Japanese Government Railways (JGR) to refer their network in English. During World War II, many JGR lines were dismantled to supply steel for the war effort.
