Central Japan Railway (JR Central) plans to raise the Nozomi charge to its approved ceiling in July 2027 and revise Green car charges in December 2027, and it estimates the two moves will add ¥50bn to ¥60bn a year in revenue. The plan came in its interim results presentation on 29 October.
This article adds the pricing detail to Earlier Tokyo Brief coverage.
Why the company is raising prices itself
The company says inflation raises its costs, but under the current total-cost, upper-limit approval system it cannot revise the ceiling on fares and charges. So it is pushing three revenue measures it can carry out alone: more Nozomi services, higher unit prices and demand-creation events. It also says it will keep lobbying the relevant authorities for a system that passes inflation-driven cost increases into fares more flexibly and simply, and for notification-based treatment of the Shinkansen unreserved-seat limited express fee.
What changes, and when
The Nozomi charge goes up to the approved ceiling. The company's example is Tokyo to Shin-Osaka, where the charge would rise from ¥320 to ¥1,020, an increase of ¥700. That is the Nozomi charge, not the whole fare. The Green car charge is to be revised in December 2027 to match improved service; the presentation gives no new level for it.
| Measure | Timing | Estimated revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Nozomi charge raised to approved ceiling | July 2027 | ¥35bn to ¥40bn a year |
| Green car charge revision | December 2027 | ¥15bn to ¥20bn a year |
| Supreme Class (Cabin and Seat) | In stages from October 2026 | About ¥10bn a year after roughly 15 years |
Supreme Class adds a private Cabin and a semi-private Seat. Rollout starts in stages from October 2026, with Seat arriving during the 2027 fiscal year. The company expects about ¥10bn a year in extra revenue after roughly 15 years. All revenue figures are company estimates.
More Nozomi, if the timetable allows
Since March 2026 JR Central has run timetables allowing 13 Nozomi an hour in some busy periods. It says peak periods still see times when reserved seats cannot be had. At the next timetable revision it plans to increase the hours with 13 an hour, and it aims for 14 an hour in future. It used the 13-an-hour timetable on 19 days in the first half.
The results behind the plan
First-half transport revenue rose 1% from a year earlier: Expo-related effects took off 5%, domestic business and leisure added 5% and inbound added 1%. Operating costs rose on labour costs and other items. Consolidated operating profit was ¥447.1bn against ¥454.0bn a year earlier, while operating revenue rose to ¥1.01tn.
The company raised its full-year consolidated operating profit forecast to ¥757.0bn from ¥702.0bn. It plans interim and year-end dividends of ¥17 each, ¥1 above its initial forecast, and a new buyback of up to ¥10bn on top of about ¥20bn already carried out.