By KAZUHIRO KIDA, Nikkei Staff Writer, Nikkei Asian Review; September 6, 2019
TOKYO — Japan’s railways are renowned worldwide for their punctuality and safety, but a recent accident has shed light on an often overlooked problem: There are too many railway crossings, some of which are closed to traffic for long stretches of time.
On Thursday, around noon, a commuter train collided with a truck at a crossing in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, killing the truck driver and injuring 35 passengers. The accident drew international media attention.