Why The Japanese Government Is Keeping A Defunct Train Station Running For One Passenger
Japan Railways will keep the train station running until she graduates.
By Sadho Ram — 09 Jan 2016, 03:57 PM
How a country prioritises the needs and rights of its individual citizens says a lot about how much it values their contribution to society. And Japan is a living example of such a country.
Some three years ago, the Kami-Shirataki train station in the northernmost island of Hokkaido, Japan, was about to be shut down by Japan Railways —the group that operates the country's railway network.
At that time, ridership at the train station had dramatically fallen down because of its remote location and even the freight service had ended there as well.
However, when Japan Railways noticed that it was still being used every day by a single passenger: A high-school girl, on her way to school, they changed their minds and decided to keep the station open just for her until she graduates.
While it may sound like an unbelievably strange thing to do, according to CCTV News, it was a decision that Japan Railways made in order for the lone girl student to complete her education
The company even adjusted the train's timetable according to the girl's schedule.
The train stops there only twice a day — once to pick up the girl and again to drop her off after her school day is over. The unnamed girl is expected to graduate this 26 March 2016, which is when the station will finally be closed.
And the Japanese government's this act of making education a priority hasn't gone unnoticed as social media users are all praise
"Why should I not want to die for a country like this when the government is ready to go an extra mile just for me," one commenter wrote on CCTVNews's post. "This is the meaning of good governance penetrating right to the grassroots level. Every citizen matters. No Child left behind!"
While another user commented saying, "Wow the whole dictionary will be small to describe Japanese people and their government in a word."
