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Largest Railways Public Companies in Japan
Benchmark revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples for public comps like
East Japan Railway, Central Japan Railway, JR West, Tokyu and Tokyo Metro.
 | East Japan Railway Company, or JR East, is the largest railway operator in Japan. It was originally established when the government-owned nationwide railway operator underwent a six-way territorial split in 1987, though it wasn't fully privatized until 2002. It runs both long distance bullet trains, known as Shinkansen, and shorter municipal train routes around and from Tokyo. Its 7,400 kilometers of rail track covers half of Japan's population and a third of the country's land area. Two thirds of revenue is from transportation, with most of the rest from retail operations and real estate investments. | $21 | +7% | $24B | $52B | 2.9x | 10.8x | ||
| Central Japan Railway Company, or JR Central, is the main railway operator in Nagoya and the Chubu region in central Japan. It was originally established when the government-owned nationwide railway operator underwent a six-way territorial split in 1987. Its main asset is the Tokaido Shinkansen, which spans Japan's most wealthy and populous area and links Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka. It contributes three-fourths of revenue, with most of the balance from merchandise, conventional train lines, and real estate. | $21 | +4% | $20B | $45B | 3.9x | 7.7x | ||
| West Japan Railway, or JR West, is the main railway operator in Western Japan, headquartered in Osaka. It was originally established when the government-owned nationwide railway operator underwent a six-way territorial split in 1987. Its main assets are the Sanyo Shinkansen, which stretches from Osaka to Fukuoka, and the urban rail network in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area. Its nearly 5,000 kilometers of rail track covers a third of Japan’s population and a fifth of its land area. Rail operations contribute more than half of revenue, with most of the balance from retail operations, real estate investments, travel agencies, and hotels. | $16 | -25% | $7B | $15B | 1.4x | 6.9x | ||
| Tokyu Corp is a Japan-based industry conglomerate mainly engaged in the transportation, real estate, leisure services, and hotel and resort businesses. The segments in which the group operates include Transportation, Real estate, Life service, and Hotel & Resort Business. Through its subsidiaries, it offers leisure-related services such as travel agents, theaters, golf, and car rental agents. It derives the majority of revenue from the Life service segment, which is engaged in Department store business, chain store business, shopping center business, Cable TV business, advertising business, and video business. | $10 | -5% | $6B | $14B | 2.1x | 11.0x | ||
| Tokyo Metro Co Ltd is engaged in the transportation, real estate, distribution, and advertising businesses. The Transportation segment operates and manages a subway network of nine lines mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The Real Estate segment develops and rents office buildings and hotels, such as Shibuya Mark City, along railway lines. The Distribution and Advertising segment operates commercial facilities like Echika at subway stations and handles advertising within stations and trains, as well as information and communication services. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Transportation segment. | $9 | -17% | $5B | $11B | 4.4x | 11.5x | ||
| Odakyu Electric Railway Co Ltd is a Japanese company mainly engaged in transportation services. The company has three reportable segments, namely Life service industry; Real estate industry; and Transportation. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Transportation segment, which includes the Railway business, bus business, taxi business, route business, cableway business, etc. | $10 | -7% | $3B | $7B | 2.8x | 9.6x | ||
| Kyushu Railway, or JR Kyushu, is one of seven Japanese railway companies formed when the government privatized Japan Rail in 1987. The rail company services the island of Kyushu, which is just off the South of Japan mainland. Kyushu is colloquially referred to as the 10:10:10 region—covering about 10% of Japan’s landmass, housing about 10% of Japan’s population and producing about 10% of Japan’s gross domestic product. JR Kyushu operates three businesses: rail transportation; real estate and hotels; and construction, retail, restaurants, and business services. | $22 | -8% | $3B | $6B | 2.1x | 9.7x | ||
| Tobu Railway Co Ltd is a transportation and industrial company in Japan. The company organises itself into five segments: transportation, leisure, real estate, retail distribution, and others. Transportation, which contributes a portion of revenue, operates passenger transportation services through rail, bus, and taxi, and freight and delivery services. Retail distribution operates department stores and a chain of supermarkets. The leisure segment operates hotels, theme parks, golf courses, and related leisure businesses. The real estate segment leases real estate and operates bicycle and parking lot businesses. The Other business is engaged in the construction industry, electrical work, etc. | $17 | +8% | $3B | $8B | 2.0x | 9.4x | ||
| Keisei Electric Railway Co Ltd is a Japanese company that operates railways in Japan. The company’s three segments are transportation, distribution, and real estate management. The transportation segment offers passenger transportation services by rail, bus, and taxi, and it contributes the majority of revenue. The distribution segment is engaged in operating department stores, shopping centers, and other retail stores. The company derives revenue from real estate activities such as leasing and selling its properties. It also generates additional revenue from activities ranging from real estate construction, operation of restaurants, hotels, and leisure sites to car maintenance services. | $7 | -23% | $3B | $5B | 2.6x | 6.2x | ||
| Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co Ltd organises itself into six segments: transportation, real estate, distribution, logistics, leisure, and other. The transportation segment transports passengers by rail, bus, and taxi. The real estate business develops, sells, and leases commercial and residential buildings. The distribution segment operates supermarkets. The logistics segment operates an international air-cargo-handling business. The leisure segment operates hotels and other leisure businesses. The company derives the majority of its revenue domestically. | $17 | +33% | $1B | $3B | 1.2x | 9.7x | ||
| Median | $16 | -6% | $4B | $10B | 2.4x | 9.7x |
Financial data powered by FactSet and Morningstar. Valuation multiples as of current fiscal year. For more data, start your free trial here.
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