East Japan Railway said on August 1 that it will raise train fares in Greater Tokyo starting March 2026 as it received approval from the government.

The company said the fares will rise by 7.1 percent overall for regular fares and commuter and student passes to deal with factors including rising labor and equipment costs.

The price for a base fare ticket will increase from the current 150 yen to 160 yen.

While fares for the Yamanote loop line and other lines mainly serving the Tokyo metropolitan area have long been set lower, they will be unified with the distance-based fare system for other areas.

For example, a train ticket from Tokyo Station to Shibuya Station, which is currently 210 yen, will increase to 260 yen.

Excluding the hikes due to consumption tax, this is the company's first across-the-board price increase since becoming privatized in 1987.