| Short Title: | Railway Nationalization Act 鉄道国有法 |
| Territorial Extent: | Empire of Japan |
| Enacted By: | National Diet of Japan |
| Date Passed: | 1906 |
| Status: | repealed |
| Related Legislation: | Railway Construction Act |
The [1] was a law enacted by the Diet of Japan that brought many of Japan's private railway lines under national control. The 22nd Diet passed the bill on March 27, 1906[2] and Emperor Meiji signed on March 30, 1906.[1] The promulgation of the act on the Official Gazette occurred the next day.[3] The Act was repealed by Article 110 of the Act for Enforcement of Japanese National Railways Reform Act Etc. (Act No. 93 of 1986[4]).
The original bill which passed the House of Representatives on March 16, 1906 listed 32 private railways to be nationalized, but the House of Peers amended the bill removing 15 companies from the list on March 27, 1906 and the House of Representatives accepted this amendment the same day.[5]
Between 1906 and 1907, of track were purchased from 17 private railway companies. The national railway network grew to about of track, and private railways were relegated to providing local and regional services.
| +Railways nationalized | |||
| Date | Railway | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| mi | km | ||
| align=right valign=top rowspan=2 | October 1, 1906 | Hokkaido Colliery and Railway | 204.5miles |
| Kōbu Railway | 27.8miles | ||
| align=right valign=top rowspan=2 | November 1, 1906 | Nippon Railway | 860.8miles |
| Ganetsu Railway | 49.5miles | ||
| align=right valign=top rowspan=2 | December 1, 1906 | Sanyō Railway | 414.9miles |
| Nishinari Railway | 4.6miles | ||
| align=right valign=top rowspan=2 | July 1, 1907 | Kyūshū Railway | 442.8miles |
| Hokkaidō Railway | 159miles | ||
| align=right valign=top rowspan=3 | August 1, 1907 | Kyōto Railway | 22.2miles |
| Hankaku Railway | 70.3miles | ||
| Hokuetsu Railway | 85.8miles | ||
| align=right valign=top rowspan=4 | September 1, 1907 | Sōbu Railway | 73.2miles |
| Bōsō Railway | 39.4miles | ||
| Nanao Railway | 34.4miles | ||
| Tokushima Railway | 21.5miles | ||
| align=right valign=top rowspan=2 | October 1, 1907 | Kansai Railway | 275.2miles |
| Sangū Railway | 26.1miles | ||